LIBRARY 

UNIVCRSITY  or 


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HISTORICAL 


ROMANCE 


OF    THE 


AMERICAN   NEGRO 


CHARLES      H.     FOWLER,     M.    D. 


PRESS  OF  THOMAS  &  EVANS, 
604-608  Water  Street, 

BALTIMORE. 

1902. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1902,  by 

CHARLES  H.  FOWLER,  M.  D., 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  Washington,  D.  C. 


Psss 


PREFACE. 

M  A  IK> 

For  a  number  of  years  it  has  been  on  my  mind  to  write  a  book 
regarding  the  principal  events  that  have  occurred  to  the  colored  race 
since  the  beginning  of  the  agitation  against  slavery,  going  on  from 
thence  to  the  great  Rebellion,  passing  through  that  war,  and  also 
dealing  with  all  subjects  of  great  importance  that  have  arrested  our 
attention  under  our  glorious  freedom. 

At  the  same  time  it  has  occurred  to  me,  as  it  has  to  many  another 
writer,  that  my  book  would  be  far  more  interesting  to  the  general 
reader,  if  I  were  to  select  a  representative  woman  of  our  own  race,  and 
make  her  the  mouthpiece  of  all  I  wished  to  say ;  in  other  words,  to  in 
troduce  the  whole  under  the  pleasing  form  of  an  historical  romance,  so 
that  we  might  keep  our  heroine  constantly  before  our  eyes,  and  make 
her  weave  in  a  continuous  tale  of  love,  travel,  war  and  peace,  and  thus 
portray  the  lady  playing  her  own  parts  on  that  tremendous  stage  of 
Time  that  has  been  set  forth  for  the  gaze  and  astonishment  of  the 
whole  country  during  the  past  fifty  years.  I  hope  those  members  of 
the  general  public  who  favor  me  by  a  perusal  of  my  book  will  be 
pleased  with  my  plan. 

"Peace  hath  her  victories,  no  less  renowned  than  war,"  and  I 
have  introduced  into  my  book  all  the  great  advances  that  our 
race  has  made  since  the  fall  of  Richmond,  and,  indeed,  have  brought 
things  down  to  this  year.  The  reader  will  find  a  number  of  things  that 
are  intended  to  introduce  humor,  and  to  brighten  the  darker  portions 
cf  the  story. 

And  as  some  fault-finding  person  may  say  that  I  have  overdrawn 
my  heroine,  and  made  her  far  more  clever  than  she  could  ever  have 
naturally  been,  I  venture  to  affirm  that  such  a  charge  can  by  no  means 
be  just,  for  we  have  women  among  us,  and  men,  too,  who  are  as  intel 
ligent  and  clever  as  can  be  found  among  any  other  race  on  the  face  of 
the  earth.  I  believe  my  book  will  prove  the  truth  of  this  assertion  in 
those  cases,  at  least,  where  the  heroines  and  heroes  of  the  colored  race 
are  mentioned  in  its  pages  by  name. 

Beulah  Jackson  will  therefore  stand  as  a  representative  woman 
among  our  own  people. 

CHARLES  H.  FOWLER. 
Baltimore,  Md.,  1902. 


INTRODUCTORY. 

In  this  period  of  the  Negro's  development  so  much  has  been 
wielded  towards  influencing  him  in  the  expression  of  manly  sentiment, 
that  when  an  unhampered  and  heartfelt  defense  is  made  in  his  behalf 
by  one  of  his  number,  it  should,  and  I  believe  will,  secure  a  universal 
support  by  the  defenders. 

The  eagerness  to  devour  books  is  so  prevalent  in  the  present 
decade  that  the  Anglo-Saxon  litterateurs  and  publishers  endeavor  to 
withhold  and  suppress  all  that  tends  to  prove  the  Negro  a  man  and 
an  equal,  patting  all  of  their  writers  and  molders  of  public  opinion  on 
the  back,  who  are  cringing  and  palliating  with  the  deceitful  exclama 
tion,  "Behold,  thee!  thou  art  great!"  The  desire  to  secure  this  cow 
ardly  approbation  has,  indeed,  become  too  numerous.  Learned  men, 
with  ability  to  withhold  the  sentiments  of  their  hearts  and  people,  have 
too  frequently  sold  the  golden  opportunities  of  their  lives  for  paltry 
sums  and  positions  to  these  literary  hawks.  But  few  of  the  public 
speakers  and  writers  of  these  times  dare  utter  the  thoughts  of  Douglass, 
Turner,  Price,  Garnett,  and  that  grand  galaxy  of  post-bellum  fighters, 
who  knew  no  middle  ground,  but  stood  out  for  all  that  the  Fourteenth 
and  Fifteenth  Amendments  to  the  Constitution  had  embodied  in  them. 
They  had  no  axe  to  grind,  and  even  so,  their  oppressed  feelings 
wouldn't  permit  them  have  it  ground  at  the  expense  of  the  manhood 
of  their  four  million  brothers. 

It  is  high  time  that  the  Negro  judge  whose  utterances  are  fitting 
and  suitable  to  his  case,  who  stands  for  his  utterances,  and  which 
have  his  sanction,  not  to  allow  those  hostile  to  your  very  existence 
select,  under  the  guise  of  friendship,  those  sentiments  put  forth  by 
aggrandizing  writers  and  leaders  distasteful  to  you,  and  brand  them 
as  your  daily  thoughts  and  hourly  prayers.  Respect  for  the  sycophant 
cannot  exist  long,  even  among  them  whom  he  traitorously  serves  A 
tree  is  judged  by  its  fruit ;  so  is  a  race  judged  by  its  representative  men. 
If  they  be  honest,  the  race  is  placed  in  the  category  of  men ;  if  wicked, 
treacherous  and  deceitful,  their  place  is  fixed  among  the  distrustful. 

It  therefore  becomes  a  small  part  for  us  to  perform  in  signalizing 


6  INTRODUCTORY. 

the  honest  writer  and  leader  by  giving  him  our  unanimous  support. 
The  author  has  spent  months  of  effort  and  toil  in  compiling  clatas  and 
accounts,  that  Caucasian  authors,  with  alertness  suppress.  He  has 
made  a  strong  case  and  defense  of  the  Negro's  manhood  and  trust 
worthiness  at  a  time  when  most  men  would  have  been  honest  with 
pain.  The  simplicity  with  which  his  data  is  compiled  and  presented 
to  the  reader  stamps  him  neither  in  quest  of  gold  or  greatness,  but 
striving  to  convince  the  ignorant  that  heroes  and  heroines  can  even 
be  found  among  this  despised  race  of  America,  whom  some  would 
brand  as  rapists  and  thieves.  A  tale  is  welded  together  in  which  every 
experience,  occurrence  and  stage  is  passed  through  that  can  occur  to 
a  poor,  struggling  people ;  yet,  no  instance  presents  itself  by  which  the 
character,  the  basal  part  of  any  people,  can  be  impeached.  'Twill 
serve  as  a  firer  of  the  ambition  and  aspirations  of  the  young  Negro, 
and  at  the  same  time,  so  thrilling  are  its  narratives,  that  'twill  prove 
as  interesting  reading  matter  as  many  a  romance.  The  eagerness  with 
which  our  youth  devour  such  tales  as  relates  the  better  side  of  his 
ancestry's  life,  is  too  well  known  to  us.  The  story  of  Beulah  Jackson 
will  fill  a  long-felt  niche  in  the  young  Negro's  reading  matter,  that 
will  in  itself  prove  highly  beneficial. 

JACOB  NICHOLSON. 


BEULAH  JACKSON. 


HISTORICAL     ROMANCE 

OF    TH  E 

AMERICAN      NEGRO 


CHAPTER  I. 

Though  this  is  the  year  of  grace,  just  forty-seven  years  after  the 
date  when  my  adventurous  story  begins,  my  recollections  of  that 
bright  morning  in  May,  1855,  when  I  arose  and  at  one  bound  broke 
loose  from  slavery,  are  as  vivid  as  the  lightning's  flash.  "A  still  tongue 
makes  a  wise  head,"  and  so  I  held  my  tongue  and  bided  my  time  until 
1  made  at  last  that  successful  spring.  And  never  do*  I  behold  the 
glorious  sun  rising  over  the  hills  and  forests  but  the  joyous  recollection 
of  that  Wednesday  morning  in  May  comes  back  to  me,  like  the  re 
bounding  reaction  of  the  bow  that  is  unbent. 

I  was  born  in  the  State  of  Kentucky,  a  few  miles  below  Louisville, 
where  my  father's  mansion  stood  on  one  of  those  sloping  hills  that 
face  the  river  Ohio,  which  the  French  named  with  justice,  the  "Beauti 
ful  River."  That  mansion,  with  all  its  splendid  surroundings,  belonged 
to  my  father  and  owner,  a  white  man  named  Lemuel  Jackson ;  but  my 
own  mother,  a  woman  of  uncommon  beauty,  belonged  to  the  colored 
race.  My  mother,  for  some  cause  or  other,  was  sold  down  the  river  in 
New  Orleans,  in  the  year  1853,  when  I  was  but  fifteen  years  of  age.  I 
never  got  over  that  sudden  separation,  and  I  at  once  formed  my  own 
resolutions,  of  which  I  said  nothing. 

As  my  father  was  a  rich  man,  who  indulged  me  in  many  ways  and 
appeared  to  love  me,  and  as  I  often  had  occasion  to  accompany  him 
and  Mrs.  Jackson,  or  some  of  the  other  members  of  the  family,  to 
Louisville,  he  seldom  refused  to  give  me  the  cash  I  asked  for,  which  I 
now  began  to  carefully  put  away  in  a  secret  place  only  known  to  the 
Lord  and  myself.  Two  eventful  years  had  passed  away.  I  had  by  this 
time  discovered  the  whereabouts  of  my  mother,  Harriet,  in  New  Or 
leans,  and  my  hopes  of  meeting  her  again  grew  stronger  every  day  as 


*  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

the  time  approached  for  me  to  kick  off  the  detested  chains  of  slavery. 
For  the  coming  of  this  happy  deliverance  I  prayed  to  my  good  Lord 
both  day  and  night. 

At  last  that  day  dawned  upon  me,  the  springtime  of  all  my  joys. 
The  Lord  heard  my  prayers,  and.  He  cleared  the  way  to  freedom. 
There  was  to  be  a  big  church  gathering  at  Louisville,  and  the  first 
session  of  that  great  time  was  to  be  on  Wednesday  morning — the  first 
Wednesday  in  the  month,  as  I  very  well  remember,  indeed. 

The  bishop  and  his  wife,  who  were  invited  guests  to  our  house, 
had  arrived  the  day  before.  They  were  to  spend  the  night  with  us, 
and  all  things  breathed  religion  and  excitement  over  the  events  of  the 
morrow  and  the  rest  of  the  week  to  come. 

Among  the  inmates  of  the  house  was  one  Tom,  whom  I  was  accus 
tomed  to  call,  Tom  Lincoln — a  tall,  splendid  young  man,  a  shade 
darker  in  complexion  than  myself,  and,  like  myself,  a  slave.  Tom  was 
now  twenty-seven  years  old.  He  had  been  casting  "sheep's  eyes"  at 
me  for  several  years  past,  but  who  could  think  of  marriage  whilst  in 
a  state  of  slavery?  Therefore  I  gave  him  no  encouragement,  but  as 
he  was  thoroughly  reliable,  I  said  to  him  one  day  in  strict  confidence, 
and  in  the  most  significant  manner  possible,  "I  will  talk  to  you  about 
that  when  we  are  free.  While  in  a  state  of  slavery  it  is  a  mockery  to 
profane  the  names  of  love,  courtship  and  marriage.  I  will  never,  so 
help  me  God,  be  married  in  the  house  of  bondage!" 

Tom  Lincoln  was  a  clever  fellow,  a  general  factotum,  and  ac 
quainted  with  everything  about  the  house.  He  was  always  relied  on, 
and  the  great  house,  as  it  was  called,  would  be  left  in  his  charge  while 
the  family  and  the  upper  servants  attended  the  gathering  at  Louisville. 
Soon  after  the  bishop  and  his  wife  arrived,  I  called  Tom  aside  and  laid 
before  him  my  whole  plan,  which  had  been  well  formed  for  some  time 
past  in  my  mind. 

"Capital !"  said  he,  slapping  his  knee  with  his  big  hand.  "Capital, 
indeed !  Strike  when  the  iron  is  hot,  and  kill  chickens  when  they  are 
fat !  But,  Beulah,  will  you  marry  me  then  ?" 

"Yes,  with  pleasure,  when  we  are  free  from  the  chains  of  slavery." 

When  I  gave  Tom  that  answer  his  eyes  flashed  bright  as  the  stars 
on  a  frosty  night,  and  mine,  no  doubt,  flashed  back  in  a  reflected  lustre. 

"All  right,"  said  he,  and  then,  after  some  thought,  he  added :    "Get 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  9 

your  trunk  ready  by  ten  o'clock  to-morrow  morning,  as  all  things  will 
be  in  readiness  by  that  time.  Beulah,  I  will  be  a  bondman  no  longer. 
Just  think  of  it.  Twenty-seven  years  old,  and  a  slave !" 

"That's  right,  Tom  ;  stick  to  it !    Minds  are  never  to  be  sold  !    Stick 
to  it !"  was  my  instant  reply. 

With  immediate  freedom  and  all  its  joys  before  him,  the  brave 
Tom  did  not  let  much  grass  grow  under  his  feet.  We  kept  a  boat 
near  the  house,  and  although  not  an  expert  oarsman,  he  knew  enough 
to  handle  it  when  called  upon.  In  the  darkness  and  silence  of  Tuesday 
night,  he  slipped  over  to  the  other  side  of  the  stream,  then  made  his 
way  for  a  mile  or  two  down  the  Indiana  side,  where  he  ran  the  boat  up 
a  creek,  near  which  stood  a  little  cabin  in  which  some  acquaintances  of 
his  lived.  He  confided  his  secret  to  his  friends,  and  as  the  man  of  the 
house  kept  a  horse  and  wagon,  the  latter  consented  to  convey  our 
trunks  to  the  house  of  a  mutual  friend  in  New  Albany  next  morning. 
Then  leaving  this  cabin  and  the  boat  tied  up  in  the  creek,  Tom  made 
his  way  to  New  Albany  on  foot,  where  his  mission  was  also  successful. 
With  these  preliminary  preparations,  he  returned  to  the  great  house 
in  safety,  and  it  was  never  known  that  he  had  so  much  as  been  out  of 
his  own  room !  Of  course  there  was  some  risk  to  run,  but  who  would 
not  dare  all  for  freedom? 

As  for  that  anxious  Tuesday  night,  my  excitement  was  such  that 
J  never  slept  a  wink.  I  thought  much  of  a  similarly  planned  and  quite 
successful  dash  for  freedom  that  took  place  shortly  before  this  near  our 
place.  A  girl  of  fifteen  and  her  brother,  twelve  years  of  age,  were  left 
alone  one  day  to  take  care  of  the  house  while  all  the  white  people  had 
gone  away.  They  never  suspected  anything  so  unusual  from  a  girl 
of  fifteen,  especially  as  she  was  mild  and  quiet. 

But  after  they  had  gone,  Muriel  called  her  brother  Willy,  and  said, 

"Willie,  do  you  see  that  boat  ?  We  are  nothing  but  slaves,  and 
yonder  across  the  river  lies  Indiana — a  free  State.  Master  keeps 
money  in  the  bureau,  and  I  will  burst  it  open  and  take  what  will  carry 
you  and  me  on  the  train  to  a  place  of  safety  and  freedom.  Let  us  take 
clothes  along  with  us,  and  whatever  we  need.  This  is  no  robbery.  It 
belongs  to  us  by  right,  for  slavery  is  nothing  but  a  system  of  robbery, 
anyhow." 

So  Muriel  and  Willy  crossed  the  Ohio  river  in  the  open  day. 


10  HISTORICAL  ROMANO:  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

v/alked  to  the  nearest  railway  station,  took  a  train  for  the  North,  and 
speedily  arrived  in  a  land  where  they  were  slaves  no  longer. 

The  longest  night  comes  to  an  end,  and  the  morning  of  that  never- 
to-be-forgotten  Wednesday  in  May  brought  lovely  weather,  lots  of 
fine  prayers  from  the  bishop,  and  an  immense  show  of  devotion  from 
Mrs.  Jackson,  the  woman  who  caused  my  precious  mother  to  be  sent 
down  to  New  Orleans.  There  was  a  grand  breakfast  at  the  big  house,, 
and,  as  usual,  I  figured  like  a  flower  girl  at  a  wedding.  I  did  my  best 
to  keep  down  my  excitement,  but,  indeed,  it  would  never  have  been 
noticed  that  morning,  such  was  the  stir  on  the  account  of  our  visitors. 
and  the  coming  glorious  gathering  of  the  ''saints"  at  Louisville. 

Horses  and  carriages,  and  all  the  rest  of  our  rich  display  soon 
hove  in  sight,  and  in  due  time  the  coast  was  clear  for  Tom  and  me  to 
strike  for  freedom.  We  packed  two  large  leather  trunks  that  had 
long  done  service  on  the  steamboats  and  railways  of  the  sunny  South. 

We  had  clothing  enough  to  put  us  through  for  a  long^  time  to 
come,  both  summer  and  winter.  Tom  being  a  big  and  powerful  man,, 
soon  carried  the  trunks  down  to  the  boat,  without  exciting  any  undue 
suspicion  among  the  few  old  folks  and  children  about  the  house.  It- 
was  wonderful,  under  the  circumstances,  to  see  him  so  cool  and  cir 
cumspect. 

Tom  heaped  up  some  sacking  and  other  things  upon  the  trunks 
to  give  the  whole  the  appearance  of  a  trading  skiff,  and  as  the  wind 
was  blowing  in  the  right  direction,  he  put  up  a  little  sail. 

To  still  further  avoid  unwelcome  attentions,  I  insisted  on  lying 
flat  on  the  bottom  of  the  boat,  and  being  covered  with  sacking  (the 
Fugitive  Slave  Law  was  in  force  now,  and  the  sleuthhounds  of  slavery" 
might  be  upon  our  trail).  At  last  the  boat  was  cast  loose  and  headed 
for  a  littl^  ways  down  the  Kentucky  shore.  Then  my  adventurous  pilot 
crossed  to  the  Indiana  side,  and  concealed  our  little  craft  behind  a 
string  of  barges  floating  down  the  Ohio.  Several  steamboats  came 
puffing  and  blowing  up  the  stream,  and  so,  amid  the  general  turmoil 
and  confusion,  we  slipped  into  the  little  creek,  ran  our  boat  under  the 
bushes,  and  in  a  short  time  had  our  trunks  and  belongings  safe  inside 
the  cabin  of  our  friends.  O  praise  ye  the  Lord !  for  His  mercy  endur- 
eth  forever !  We  had  completed  our  first  step  towards  liberty ! 

Our  good  friend  next  got  out  his  horse  and  wagon,  our  trunks 


HISTORICAL   KO.MANCE   OF   THE  AMERICAN   NEGRO.  11 

and  things  were  speedily  flung  in,  and  he  took  his  way  alone  for  New 
Albany.  After  I  had  made  many  promises  to  write,  and  given  a 
thousand  thanks,  I  started  for  the  place  of  meeting,  and  my  gallant 
Tom  brought  up  the  rear  at  a  safe  distance.  Of  course,  we  were,  now 
in  a  free  State,  but  Kentucky  still  lay  in  full  view  of  us. 

One  by  one  we  arrived  at  the  appointed  number  and  street  in 
New  Albany,  and  here  we  dressed  for  the  immediate  journey  by  rail. 
Having  blessed  one  another,  and  made  many  promises  to  write  to 
these  friends  also,  we  hurriedly  betook  ourselves  to  the  station.  Tom 
marched  up  to  the  ticket  office,  two  tickets  were  quickly  secured,  and 
at  last  the  supreme  moment  of  happiness  arrived  when  we  took  our 
seats  for  the  far-famed  city  of  Cincinnati.  I  have  seen  many  horses  in 
my  time,  and  mules  like  the  sands  of  the  sea,  in  my  native  State  of 
Kentucky,  but  the  nicest,  dearest,  most  lamb-like  and  sweetest  horse 
i  ever  saw  in  all  my  life  was  that  strong,  iron  horse  named  "Steam 
Engine,"  that  stood  ready  in  the  station  waiting  for  the  command  to 
start. 

We  were  now  in  the  carriage ;  it  was  just  twelve  o'clock,  and  the 
glorious  free  sun  shone  down  upon  us.  The  train  began  to  move,  and 
when  it  did  so,  I  felt  as  though  I  would  faint  for  very  joy.  I  don't  be 
lieve  that  Tom  was  any  better  than  myself,  the  transition  from  slavery 
to  happiness  came  with  such  a  rush.  But,  then,  I  was  only  a  sensitive 
young  woman  of  seventeen,  whereas  Tom  was  an  experienced  man 
ten  years  my  senior,  and,  in  appearance,  at  least,  he  managed  to  bear 
things  with  more  composure  than  did  I.  As  our  train  rushed  along 
through  the  beautiful  land,  all  adorned  with  the  thousand  beauties  of 
the  pleasant  month  of  May,  all  things  looked  to  me  like  consecutive 
scenes  in  a  new  paradise,  as  when  we  look  through  rose-colored  glass 
es  all  things  are  colored  like  the  rose.  The  winds  played,  the  sun 
shone  brightly,  and  all  nature's  face  was  gay,  and  as  our  mighty  iron 
steed  sped  along  in  his  vigor,  Tom  and  I  talked  but  little.  The  time 
for  talking  would  come  another  day,  never  fear!  In  truth,  we  were 
too  happy  to  talk. 

The  afternoon  wore  on,  and  we  crossed  the  Indiana  State  line  and 
entered  Ohio,  the  sight  of  which  gave  our  eyes  the  most  unbounded 
pleasure.  On,  on,  sped  our  devoted  iron  horse,  until  at  last  he  came 
to  the  end  of  his  race  in  the  beautiful  citv  of  Cincinnati.  When  we 


12  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

two  fugitives  from  the  land  of  slavery  stepped  on  the  platform  here, 
all  safe  and  sound,  we  were  reminded  of  a  ship  entering,  after  many 
risks  in  the  voyages  of  life,  the  port  of  Heaven,  with  all  sails  spread, 
and  never  an  injured  plank.  I  looked  across  the  "beautiful  river,"  and 
beheld  the  hills  of  my  native  State  coming  down  to  the  water's  edge, 
and  laving-  their  feet  in  the  cooling  waves.  An  immense  traffic  was 
rolling  down,  down,  down  to  the  Mississippi  and  the  Gulf  States,  and 
everything  was  hum  and  bustle. 

Thus  I  stood  musing  at  the  top  of  one  of  the  steep  streets  that 
run  down  to  the  Ohio  river,  while  Tom  nearby  entered  into  some 
serious  conversation  with  a  gentleman.  At  last  he  came  back  to  me 
and  said, 

"Beulah,  let  us  go  this  way." 

After  walking  for  some  time  we  found  the  right  address,  the 
home  of  the  Rev.  John  Robinson,  a  minister  of  the  A.  M.  E.  Church. 
In  the  most  polite  manner  possible  we  were  asked  in,  and  invited  into 
the  parlor.  Mr.  Robinson,  a  jolly*  fat-faced,  pleasant-looking  Rever 
end,  was  on  hand  at  once.  Tom  told  him  the  main  points  of  our  his 
tory  in  a  few  minutes,  and  finished  by  requesting  him  to  marry  us  anv 
time  that  night. 

When  the  question  arose  as  to  whether  the  marriage  should  be 
performed  in  private  or  public,  I  insisted  on  it  being  done  as  publicly 
as  possible,  and  that  a  newspaper  reporter  should  be  called  in,  too. 

Now,  as  good  luck  would  have  it,  there  was  to  be  a  great  gathering 
at  the  Methodist  Church  that  night,  so  it  was  decided  that  the  wedding 
should  take  place  an  "hour  after  the  meeting  commenced.  Mrs.  Rob 
inson  and  the  entire  family  were  now  called  into  the  parlor,  when  we 
were  all  introduced  to  one  another,  and  there  was  a  mighty  season  of 
rejoicing.  Tea  was  prepared,  and  we  adjourned  to  the  dining-room. 

In  the  meantime  some  of  the  friends  and  neighbors  were  sent  for, 
a  reporter  was  notified,  and  the  news  of  our  safe  arrival  and  pros 
pective  marriage  spread  like  wildfire  throughout  the  good  city  of  Cin 
cinnati.  The  ladies,  both  white  and  colored,  were  tremendously  inter 
ested  in  my  case.  They  lavished  attentions  upon  me,  and  caressed  me 
to  such  an  extent  that  I  was  afraid  I  would  faint ! 

In  due  time,  however,  we  took  up  our  grand  march  to  the  church, 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  13 

and  here  I  will  give  the  account  of  our  wedding  as  it  appeared  next 
morning  in  the  Cincinnati  News :" 

WEDDING  AT  THE  A.  M.  E.  CHURCH. 

Last  night  we  were  called  in  to  witness  a  happy  wedding-,  which  re 
minded  us  of  that  of  Jacob  and  Rachel.  The  contracting  parties  were  Mr. 
Thomas  Lincoln  and  Miss  Beulah  Jackson. 

This  Thomas  Lincoln,  aged  twenty-seven,  a  fine,  tall  young  man,  was 
formerly  the  house  steward  and  general  factotum  of  Lemuel  Jackson, 
Esq.,  of  Riverside  Hall,  below  Louisville,  Ky.  The  beautiful  seventeen- 
year-old  bride  is  the  daughter  of  Mr.  Jackson  himself,  by  one  Harriet,  a 
slave  woman  of  many  graces,  whom  Mrs.  Jackson  t\vo  years  ago,  through 
jealousy,  caused  to  be  sold  to  New  Orleans. 

Miss  Beulah  was  indeed  "a  bride  adorned  for  her  husband,"  and  the 
ladies  had  her  duly  arrayed  in  orange  blossoms  and  the  regulation  wedding 
costume.  The  Flower  Girl  of  Riverside  Hall,"  as  sh/e  has  been  often  call 
ed,  it  seems,  carried  a  beautiful  bouquet.  The  church  was  filled  to  suffo 
cation,  and  the  interest  in  ,the  ceremony  was  intense. 

After  the  knot  was  tied,  a  gentleman  advanced  to  the  front,  placed  a 
five-dollar  bill  on  the  table,  and  called  for  a  wedding  present  "for  these 
two  ex-slaves  from  the  State  of  Kentucky."  The  call  was  readily  respond 
ed  to,  and  a  good  sum  was  contributed.  The  young  couple  passed  the 
night  at  the  home  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Robinson,  who  performed  the  ceremony. 
They  leave  this  morning  for  Columbus,  Ohio,  and  points  beyond.  Lincoln 
stated  that  he  could  have  left  Kentucky  at  almost  any  time,  but  remained 
until  he  could  find  an  opportunity 'to  assist  in  the  escape  of  the  girl. 

As  the  immense  assemblage  at  the  A.  M.  E.  Church  looked  upon  this 
splendid  couple,  all  hearts  were  filled  with  compassion  to  think  that  the 
South  should  call  such  men  and  women  "goods  and  chattels."  It  was  the 
outspoken  opinion  that  a  day  of  reckoning  is  coming;  a  day  of  .war,  a 
holy  war,  sent  by  God  Himself,  that  will  end  this  system  of  robbery  and 
oppression." 

I  bought  several  copies  of  the  paper  that  contained  the  account 
of  our  wedding,  and  posted  one  to  Riverside  Hall,  one  to  our  friends  at 
New  Albany,  and  another  to  our  benefactors  in  the  little  cabin  by  the 
creek.  Next  morning  at  breakfast  the  fun  was  delightful,  and  I  was 
obliged  to  laugh  when  Mrs.  Robinson  called  me  "The  flower  girl  of 
Riverside  Hall."  Breakfast  over,  our  host  and  hostess  insisted  on  ac 
companying  us  to  the  station  to  see  us  off,  and  here  we  took  leave  of 
our  kind  friends,  whom  we  felt  that  we  could  never  thank  enough. 


14  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

As  we  steamed  away  for  Columbus,  all  things  were  still  new  and 
delightful,  and  I  never  tired  of  beholding  the  fair  face  of  nature  as  our 
train  wound  along  the  banks  of  the  Little  Miami.  I  was  immensely 
pleased  with  the  beautiful  State  of  Ohio,  its  fine  churches  along  the 
way,  its  fair  and  fertile  farms,  and  all  its  magnificent  forest-clad  hills 
In  due  time  we  arrived  at  Columbus,  the  State  capital,  and  were  much 
impressed  with  the  beauty  of  the  sweet  little  city. 

We  continued  our  journey  on  through  Ohio  until  we  crossed  into 
Pennsylvania,  by  the  shores  of  Lake  Erie,  that  flowed  away  towards 
Canada  like  a  little  inland  sea.  Thus  we  continued  on  to  Buffalo,  New 
York,  where  we  left  the  train.  Here  we  determined  to  settle  down, 
at  least  for  some  time.  For  a  few  days  we  put  up  at  a  friend's  house, 
for  we  were  both  very  much  fatigued,  indeed,  with  our  long  journey 
and  its  incidental  bustle  and  confusion.  I  was  only  seventeen  years 
old  at  this  time,  the  most  romantic  age  of  a  woman's  life — or  rather 
she  is  standing  on  the  borderland  with  girlhood  just  behind  her,  and 
all  the  joys  of  womanhood  and  matrimony  just  before.  Anticipation 
invests  all  things  with  the  glories  of  the  rainbow.  It  is  certainly  a  good 
time  to  get  married,  for  then  a  girl's  nature  is  soft  and  pliable,  and  she 
has  had  neither  time  nor  opportunity  to  become  possessed  of  cast-iron 
v.ays  of  her  own. 

During  the  few  days  that  we  were  resting  ourselves  we  became 
acquainted  with  a  few  most  worthy  colored  families  who  belonged  to 
the  A.  M.  E.  Church  on  Vine  street,  as  good  and  loving  a  congregation 
as  I  have  found  up  to  this  year.  God  bless  that  loving  flock ! 

Just  at  this  time  Tom  and  I  had  a  good  deal  of  conversation  about 
my  writing  a  letter  to  my  father  at  Riverside  Hall.  If  it  was  to  be 
done  at  all,  it  had  better  be  done  soon,  lest  the  door  between  us  be 
permanently  closed.  Had  my  father  done  the  right  thing  he  would 
have  married  my  mother,  Harriet.  She  was  ten  times  more  amiable 
and  lady-like  than  Mrs.  Jackson,  a  woman  whom  he  married  for  fash 
ion's  sake ;  but  he  never  did  or  could  love  her  as  he  did  my  mother,  or 
even  myself.  It  was  the  identical  case  of  Rachel  and  Joseph  over  again. 
If  all  the  rest  had  died,  and  Harriet  and  Beulah  had  remained  alive,  it 
would  have  been  all  right  to  him.  Thus  were  there  two  wives  in  the 
same  house — Rachel  and  Leah  once  more.  The  one  was  loved  and  the 
other  hated.  So  it  came  to  pass  that  through  iealonsy  that  raged 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  15 

in  her  heart,   Mrs.  Jackson  had  rny  beloved  mother  sold  down  the 
river  to  New  Orleans. 

I  ran  no  risk  in  writing  to  Lemuel  Jackson,  as  everyone  at  River 
side  opened  his  own  letters.    So  we  decided  that  I  should  write  home 
in  a  week  or  two,  when  we  were  settled  down  to  practical  housekeep 
ing.    And,  besides  all  that,  the  old  gentleman  liked  a  good  letter,  and 
1  knew  mine  would  be  doubly  welcome. 

It  is  very  true  that  the  Fugitive  Slave  Bill  was  on  the  statute 
books  of  Congress,  but  that  bill  was  practically  a  dead  letter,  and  it  was 
now  only  one  chance  in  ten  thousand  that  anyone  would  attempt  to 
come  after  us  all  the  way  to  Buffalo.  It  is  quite  true  that  immediately 
after  the  passage  of  that  infamous  bill  there  were  several  fugitive 
slaves  caught  close  to  the  border,  and  carried  back  to  slavery,  but  the 
true  spirit  of  the  North  arose  against  such  Southern  barbarism,  and 
after  a  few  slave-hunters  had  been  shot,  the  South  ceased  to  send  her 
couriers  even  to  the  borderland,  but  remained  at  home  nursing  her 
sullen  wrath,  cursing  the  Underground  Railroad  and  all  Christian 
abolitionism,  and  flaunting  her  oft-repeated  threat  in  the  face  of  the 
nation,  that  unless  she  could  have  her  own  way  in  the  Union  she 
v/ould  have  it  out  of  it. 

We  did  not  consider,  therefore,  that  we  had  any  risk  to  run  in 
settling  down  here  in  Buffalo,  or  even  in  writing  to  my  father  and  giv 
ing  him  our  street  address.  Mrs.  Jackson  would  have  no  doubt  been 
capable  of  setting  the  man-hunters  on  our  track,  but  father,  though  a 
rich  man,  would  never  have  made  the  outlay  of  money  necessary.  Be 
sides  it  would  have  exposed  his  shame  and  disgrace. 

In  the  meantime,  then,  we  rented  a  small  and  cosy  cottage  not 
far  from  the  sweet  little  church  on  Vine  street,  furnished  it  cheaply, 
but  comfortably,  and  at  the  appointed  time  we  invited  the  pastor  of  the 
church  and  his  good  wife  to  come  and  spend  the  evening  and  take 
tea,  that  the  Lord  might  bless  us  in  our  happy  home. 

After  we  had  been  settled  in  Buffalo  about  a  month,  I  wrote  the 
following  letter  to  my  father,  which  he  duly  received : 


16  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

"Lemuel  Jackson,  Esq.,  Riverside  Hall,  Ky. 

"My  dear  Father: — 

"With  great  pleasure  I  take  my  pen  in  hand  to  write  you  a  few 
lines.  It  is  but  natural  that  your  daughter  should  take  a  delight  in  writ 
ing  to  you,  and  we  have  lived  too  long  under  the  same  roof  for  me  not 
to  know  that  you  will  be  glad  to  receive  a  letter  from  me.  I  can  never 
forget  you,  my  own  dear  father. 

"I  have  great  pleasure  in  informing  you  that  Tom  is  a  very  thought 
ful,  considerate  and  loving  husband,  and  is  most  indulgent  and  kind  to 
your  own  dear  Beulah.  If  I  had  searched  theVhole  United  States  I  don't 
believe  that  I  could  ever  have  found  a  better  man  than  Tom.  He  prom 
ised  to  be  good  to  me  when  we  were  married  in  Cincinnati,  and  I  believe 
he  always  will. 

"The  first  thing  we  did,  after  we  had  furnished  our  cosy  little  cot 
tage  and  settled  down,  was  to  join  the  sweet  little  A.  M.  E.  Church  on 
Vine  street.  We  desired  to  have  the  approbation  of  the  Almighty  upon 
ourselves  and  on  our  works  and  ways.  Therefore  we  joined  the  church 
of  God  first  of  all.  I  do  believe  that  if  people  would  always  put  God  first 
they  would  have  more  luck. 

"I  don't  know  how  it  is,  but  the  people  of  Buffalo,  both  white  and 
colored  have  taken  a  very  great  liking  indeed  to  Tom  and  myself  from 
the  very  first  hour  when  we  left  the  train  here  and  set  our  wandering 
feet  within  the  Queen  City  of  the  Lakes.  The  sweet  ladies  of  Buffalo  have 
been  here  to  see  me  in  numbers,  and  I  also  have  been  to  their  homes, 
where  I  am  received  as  a  daughter  or  a  younger  sister.  Indeed  my  lines 
have  fallen  in  pleasant  places,  and  I  cannot  but  believe  that  the  good  Lord 
sent  us  to  Buffalo. 

"We  have  been  over  on  a  visit  to  Canada,  which  lies  across  the  Niagara 
River,  for  the  city  of  Buffalo,  as  you  are  aware,  lies  at  the  foot  of  Lake 
Erie  just  where  it  enters  the  Niagara  River.  There  is  a  settlement  of 
colored  people  at  St.  Catherine's,  in  Canada,  only  a  few  miles  back  from 
the  river,  and  Tom  and  I  were  greatly  interested  in  them. 

"They  all  lied  from  slavery  in  the  South,  and  many  of  them  have  come 
up  on  the  rough  side  of  the  mountain.  I  can  assure  you,  when  Tom  and 
I  saw  the  marks  of  their  horrible  treatment,  we  praised  the  Lord  that 
our  own  cases  had  been  so  mild  and  bearable  at  Riverside  Hall. 

"We  consider  that  we  are  lucky  in  coming  here  at  this  delight 
ful  season  of  the  year,  for  the  pleasant  month  of  May  seems  to  surpass 
all  the  other  months  of  the  year  for  sweetness  and  flowers.  All  around 
.uake  Erie  and  the  Niagara  River,  both  in  Canada  and  the  State  of  Nevr 
York,  the  fair  face  of  Nature  is  just  blooming;  all  the  woods  are  dressed 
in  their  mantle  of  green,  the  countless  birds  sing  among  the  branches, 
and  all  thing's  hereabout  clearly  shows  that  the  self-same  God  that  has 
adorned  the  State  of  Kentucky  has  done  as  much  in  these  parts. 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  T^E  AMERICAN  .NEGRO.  IT 

"I  am  not  aware  whether  you  hare  ever  visited  Niagara  Falls  or 
not,  as  1  have  never  heard  you  say,  but  whether  or  nott,  it  is  a  most 
wonderful  place,  and  one  well  worth  the  trouble  of  coming  even  from  the 
ends  of  the  earth  to  see.  It  is  well  for  Buffalo  and  all  the  +  owns  and  vil 
lages  that  lie  around  about  this  river,  that  they  are  so  located,  that  is,  so 
near  the  falls,  because  there  is  always  a  great  tide  of  people  coming  here 
from  every  land  beneath  the  sun,  almost;  and  these  'same  peop  e  seem, 
never,  never  to  grow  weary  of  one  of  the  most  stupendous  works  that  the- 
great  Creator  has  made. 

"After  we  had  settled  down  at  home  here,  and  before  Tom 
went  to  work  as  house  steward  in  one  of  the  first  mansions  on  Delaware- 
Avenue,  the  leading  avenue  for  private  residences  in  Buffalo,  we  took  a, 
special  day  and  went  to  see  Niagara  Falls.  As  we  had  read  and  hoard 
so  much  of  these  celebrated  falls,  I  might  almost  say  since  the  time  we 
were  born,  we  were  both  in  a  state  of  great  excitement  on  the  morning 
of  this  expedition .  Really,  my  dear  papa,  there  are  some  things  that  we 
really  never,  never  can  forget. 

"There  were  hundreds  on  the  early  morning  train  with  us — almost  all 
strangers,  and  all  in  a  state  of  highest  excitement.  We  soon  drew  out  of 
the  railway  station,  and  left  the  city  behind.  Now  we  were  on  the  bank 
of  the  Niagara  River,  which  flows  on  almost  a  perfect  level  with  the  fields, 
and  on  the  opposite,  or  Canadian  side,  the  tall  pines  were  beautiful  to  be 
hold.  As  we  drew  near  to  the  station  at  the  falls,  the  roaring  of  the 
mighty  waters  struck  with  great  force  upon  our  astonished  ears,  and 
when  we  got  out,  what  astonished  us  more  and  more  was  the  grand  stam 
pede  of  every  person  down  the  road  in  the  direction  of  the  great  river.  No 
need  to  ask  which  way  to  go;  we  had  but  to  follow  the  sound.  At  last, 
through  the  tall  trees  we  beheld  the  flying  waters,  and  there  we  saw  Niag 
ara  Falls,  before  us  in  all  their  grand  and  terrible  array! 

"For  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  above  where  we  stood,  the  Rapids 
of  Niagara  came  thundering  down  the  steep  incline,  and  the  great  waves 
leaped  like  the  waves  of  a  troubled  ocean.  It  was  just  one  continuous  and 
eternal  yell.  I  was  completely  dumfounded.  I  could  do  nothing  but  quote 
from  the  Bible,  and  shout  the  praises  of  the  great  Creator.  But  who  heard 
me  then?  For  the  Rapids  made  such  a  noise  that  nobody  else  could  hear  I 

"The  American  Fall,  on  our  own  side,  is  the  smaller  one;  the  opposite, 
or  Canadian  Fall,  which  assumes  the  shape  of  a  gigantic  horseshoe,  is  the 
Grandest  one.  The  waters  are  deeply  green,  and  at  the  top  are  said  to  be 
eight een  feet  deep.  Oh,  my!  What  a  place  it  is,  to  be  sure! 

"We  now  crossed  a  light  wooden  bridge  that  connects  our  side  with 
Goat  Island.  This  portion  of  the  Rapids  of  Niagara  was  now  just  under 
our  feet,  and  it  required  all  the  nerve  we  had  to  allow  us  to  even  look 
down  upon  the  flying,  yelling,  and  most  tremendous  waters!  This  is  one 


18  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

of  the  places  to  which  so  many  coine  for  the  purpose  of  committing  suicide. 
But  we  are  Christians,  my  dear  father,  and  we  could  never  think  of  doing 
such  a  very  foolish  thing. 

"My    dear    papa,    I    shall    have   to    stop   now,    and  continue   my   nar 
rative  at  another  time.  Here  comes  Tom  home  for  his  tea,  and  our  minister 
and  his  wife  along  with  him.     Our  love  to  you  all.     Au  revoir! 
"From  your  most  affectionate  daughter, 

"BEULAH  LINCOLN." 

c   & 

I  I  ran  to  the  nearest  box  and  posted  my  letter,  and  in  ten  days 
received  the  following  reply  from  my  dear  papa : 

RIVERSIDE  HALL,  NEAR  LOUISVILLE,  June,  1855. 
"Mrs.  Beulah  Lincoln, 

"My   Dear   Daughter:  — 

"I  duly  received  your  nice,  kind  and  most  welcome  letter.  I  am  heartily 
glad  to  hear  that  you  are  both  in  good  health,  and  so  very  comfortable  in 
every  way.  I  did  not  take  your  sudden  leaving  so  much  to  heart  as  you 
might  imagine — I  mean  in  the  way  of  vexation — but  Mrs.  Jackson  was  so 
much  disturbed  that  she  has  not  recovered  from  the  effects  of  it  yet,  as 
she  did  not  think  you  and  Tom  woulvl  leave  us.  However,  now  that  you 
have  gone,  I  wish  you  well,  and  I  enclose  herein  a  postoffice  order  for 
$50.00,  which  is  my  wedding  gift  to  yourself  and  Tom.  Please  excuse  my 
short  letter;  you  know  I  am  not  fond  of  writing.  Please  send  me  a  letter 
at  any  time  that  you  feel  like  writing.  I  am, 

"Your  most  affectonate  papa, 

"LEMUEL  JACKSON." 

As  far  as  my  father  was  concerned,  then,  it  seemed  that  we  were 
safe.    From  him,  at  least,  we  had  nothing  to  fear. 


CHAPTER  II. 

Beulah's  Journey  to  New  Orleans — Rescues  Her  Mother  From  Slav 
ery,  and  Mother  and  Daughter  Return  to  Buffalo  on  the  Good 
Boat  Columbia,  by  Way  of  Havana,  in  the  Island  of  Cuba,  West 
Indies  and  New  York  City. 

The  present  was  a  great  time  among  all  classes  of  the  abolition 
party,  the  "Underground  Railroad,"  and  all  that  sort  of  thing.  There 
were  the  border  ruffians  in  Kansas,  where  John  Brown,  that  hero  of 
fame,  led  on  the  fray,  and  fugitive  slaves  escaped  over  the  lines  into 
the  free  States,  whence  their  owners  were  unable  to  get  them  back. 
The  Fugitive  Slave  Law  was  a  dead  letter,  for  the  great  gospel  guns 
ever  all  the  North  had  denounced  it  as  a  shame  and  a  disgrace  to  a 
Christian  nation ;  and  when  the  South  found  that  fugitive  slaves  would 
resist  their  pursuers  unto  death,  and  that  their  messengers  were  likely 
to  be  shot  down,  they  ceased  to  send  them,  at  the  same  time  making 
the  slave  laws  worse  than  ever  before.  However,  the  tighter  and  more 
oppressive  they  made  them,  in  greater  numbers  did  the  slaves  escape 
from  the  house  of  bondage,  for  who  can  stem  the  spirit  of  the  brave? 
Slavery  is  an  abomination  before  the  Lord ! 

We  had  at  this  time  all  the  anti-slavery  leaders  coming  round  the 
country — the  greatest  speakers  I  ever  heard.  I  never  had  a  more  won 
derful  experience  than  turning  out  with  Tom  at  night  to  the  halls  and 
churches  to  listen  to  such  arguments  and  eloquence  as  I  had  never 
dreamed  had  any  existence  in  this  or  any  other  country.  William 
Lloyd  Garrison  came  to  Buffalo,  and  Fred.  Douglass,  and  all  the  rest 
were  there.  We  listened  to  men  and  women  who  had  seen  slavery 
in  all  parts,  of  the  South,  people  who  had  been  in  Kansas,  and  almost 
everywhere  else,  and  such  tales  of  truth  and  horror  I  never  heard  be 
fore  in  all  my  life. 

It  is  true  that  even  slavery  had  its  backers  in  the  North,  and  too 
many  of  them  at  that,  but  the  entire  Christian  portion  of  the  popula 
tion  was  determined  that  slavery  should  come  no  further,  although  the 
South  seemed  to  demand,  with  the  most  unblushing  impudence,  that 


20  H1STOKICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

they  should  carry  their  slaves  into  every  State  and  territory  under  the 
stars  and  stripes.  The  South  acted  like  a  violent,  high-strung  woman, 
whose  husband  tries  to  reason  with  her  in  vain.  She  seemed  to  sa\v 
"1  shall  have  my  own  way,  or  I  will  fight  with  you,  Sam!  I'll  be  no- 
submissive  wife !  I'll  be  master  and  mistress,  too !  I'll  fight  and  have 
my  own  way !" 

At  this  time,  freemen  from  Europe  were  pouring  into  the  United 
States  in  legions.  They  had  no  slavery  in  those  countries  from  which 
they  came,  and  coming  here  while  the  tidal  wave  of  anti-slavery  senti 
ment  was  at  its  height,  they  were  ready  not  only  to  attempt  to  stem 
the  encroachments  of  slavery,  but  to  resist  them  by  force,  if  the  worst 
came  to  the  worst.  The  Quakers  were  also  in  the  field,  and  they  gave 
Congress  no  rest.  The  Southern  senators  and  representatives  resisted 
them  at  Washington,  and  demanded  that  the  whole  subject  be  laid 
upon  the  shelf.  Here  they  were  opposed  by  such  men  as  Charles  Sum- 
ner,  Thaddeus  Stevens,  and  a  host  of  others.  Thus  things  went  on 
from  bad  to  worse  in  the  halls  of  Congress,  and  all  over  the  free  North. 
The  heavens  grew  darker  and  darker  as  the  months  rolled  by,  and  the 
South  prepared  to  leave  the  Union  unless  she  had  her  own  way. 

There  was  very  little  sign,  indeed,  of  her  ever  getting  it;  for  how 
could  freedom  and  slavery  ever  be  dominant  in  the  United  States  ar 
one  and  the  same  time  ?  It  is  very  true  that  slavery  was  a  legacy  left 
the  thirteen  original  States  by.  England,  but  we  had  gone  ahead  and 
spread  the  iniquity  ourselves,  after  the  disposal  of  it  was  left  entirely 
in  our  hands  ;  whereas  England  had  long  since  abolished  both  slavery 
and  the  slave  trade  throughout  her  dominions.  She  had  even  paid 
the  owners  full  indemnity  for  the  loss  of  their  slaves. 

I  dwell  the  more  fully  on  these  things  because  they  led  up  to 
the  war  of  secession,  and  actually  brought  it  on  in  the  year  1861. 

How  did  the  South  treat  the  oppressed  African?  She  bought, 
she  sold,  she  stole,  she  killed  for  gold.  She  hurled  all  revealed  religion 
to  the  winds,  and  set  the  Almighty  at  open  defiance.  Thus  millions 
of  backs  had  to  bend  and  labor  over  the  cotton  plant,  the  sugar  cane 
and  the  rice  stalks  of  the  South.  Families  were  torn  asunder,  and  every 
human  feeling  violently  dealt  with  in  men  and  women  born  in  the 
imasre  of  God,  that  silver  and  gold  might  be  extracted  through  their 
blood  and  tears  from  the  cotton  fields,  from  the  sugar  plantations,  and 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  21 

from  the  rice  swamps  of  the  Sunny  South.  With  such  crimes  as  these 
and  a  thousand  nameless  ones  besides  that  high  heaven  had  to  avenge, 
was  it  any  wonder  that  the  coming  tempest  was  heralded  by  rising 
winds,  by  darkening  skies,  by  colder  weather,  and  violent  flurries  of 
snow,  hail  and  sleet? 

It  was  one  of  the  curses  of  slavery  that  the  slaveholder  often  had 
a  colored  wife  in  the  kitchen,  and  a  white  one  in  the  parlor.  This  was 
very  bad,  indeed.  It  was  just  Hagar  and  Sarah  over  again,  and  not 
only  did  the  iniquitous  system  bring  the  two  women  into  conflict,  but 
the  poor,  guileless  children  were  brought  into  conflict  also.  It  was 
a  shame  and  a  disgrace  all  the  way  through.  If  white  American  par 
ents  had  never  taught  their  innocent  babes  that  the  color  of  the  skin 
made  a  difference,  "American  prejudice"  would  never  have  been 
"known  in  the  world. 

My  own  beloved  and  charming  mother  was  the  first  in  the  field. 
If  my  father  had  done  the  right  thing  by  her,  he  would  have  married 
her  out  and  out,  and  made  her  his  wife  de  jure,  as  she  certainly  was  de 
facto.  Thus  it  always  was  in  those  days  of  slavery. 

The  grand,  chivalric  white  planter  had  a  splendid  octaroon  or 
quadroon  for  his  "housekeeper,"  a  woman  whom  he  loved  supremely 
till  Southern  pride  took  alarm,  and  he  took  unto  himself  a  white  wife — 
to  be  like  his  neighbor !  Alas !  Alas !  Such  a  crooked,  dual  system  as 
that  never  worked,  and  it  never  will !  Sarah  and  Hagar  could  not  get 
along ;  neither  could  Rachel  and  Leah,  and  so  on  to  the  end  of  the 
chapter.  Turkish  women  in  the  same  harem  fight  among  themselves 
like  dogs  and  cats,  and  the  poor  miserable  Turk  sometimes  has  to 
provide  a  separate  establishment  for  every  wife. 

At  last  my  father  brought  Mrs.  Jackson  to  the  house,  and  my 
mother,  Harriet  Jackson,  as  she  was  called,  was  pushed  to  the  wall. 
I  am  glad  that  I  was  my  father's  only  child  by  his  first  wife,  for  had 
there  been  more  of  us,  the  mischief  would  have  been  the  greater.  As 
the  reader  already  knows,  a  day  came  when  I  was  up  the  river  at 
Louisville,  when,  in  some  way  only  known  to  the  devil  and  herself, 
Mrs.  Jackson  caused  my  beloved  mamma  to  be  spirited  away,  and  as 
Ave  all  subsequently  learned,  to  be  sold  down  the  river  to  New  Orleans. 
Mr.  Jackson  seemed  very  sorry,  indeed,  but  he  said  nothing  about  it 
<n  the  time,  as  he  knew  that  he  himself  was  to  blame  for  the  whole 


22  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

matter.  But  I  made  up  my  mind  at  once  to  endeavor  to  find  out  her 
exact  place  of  abode,  and  to  trust  in  God  to  bring  us  together  again. 

Alas !  my  dear  reader,  how  shall  I  ever  make  you  understand  the 
dreadful  gap  that  was  now  created  in  my  sensitive  heart,  when  dear 
mother  and  I  were  torn  apart?  You  can  imagine  how  grieved  I  was. 
but  how  much  worse  must  mother  have  felt?  It  was  a  shame  to  separate 
us,  but  Mrs.  Jackson  was  fond  of  making  grand,  ostentatious  shows, 
and  she  determined  to  keep  me  to  grace  her  grand  festal  occasions.  Still, 
1  missed  my  dear  mother  for  many  a  day.  Clouds  and  thick  darkness 
would  gather  rpund  my  heart.  I  was  in  great  heaviness  every  now  and 
then,  and  often  would  I  retire  to  my  bedroom,  where  I  used  to  get 
into  bed,  cover  myself  up,  and  there  lie  and  weep,  and  pray  to  God  to 
bring  mother  and  me  together  once  more. 

Now,  one  would  imagine  that  this  feeling  would  have  worn 
off  in  the  course  of  time,  but  it  never  did.  Two  whole  years  had  passed 
away  before  I  made  my  escape.  I  must  admit  the  truth,  that  my  newly- 
found  freedom,  marriage  and  acquaintance  with  the  glorious  people  of 
the  North  brought  me  immense  relief  all  the  summer,  but  one 
day,  about  the  beginning  of  the  fall,  I  was  once  more  completely  over 
shadowed  by  grief.  It  was  the  self-same  "old  trouble" — a  trouble  that 
no  doctor  could  cure.  I  locked  up  the  house,  and  went  to  bed  as 
I  used  to  do  at  Riverside  Hall,  and  wept  and  prayed  until 
I  fell  asleep.  The  first  thing  I  knew  I  was  awakened  by  a  very  loud 
knocking  at  the  dbor;  Tom  had  come  for  his  tea.  so  I  arose  and  let 
him  in,  and  he  was  greatly  surprised  to  find  me  all  in  tears,  and  in 
such  a  bad  way  generally. 

"Why,  Beulah,"  said  he,  "what  is  the  matter  with  you  to-day?  You 
have  been  crying,  and  you  seem  as  though  you  have  lost  your  reason 
altogether." 

"Well,  Tom,  I  have  had  such  a  heavy  day  on  account  of  my  mother. 
It  is  one  of  those  'spells'  come  back  again,  the  same  as  I  used  to  have 
at  Riverside  Hall.  I  declare  I  hate  to  feel  in  this  uncomfortable  way, 
but  it  just  came  on  me,  and  I  could  not  help  it." 

"I  am  afraid,  Beulah,"  replied  Tom,  "there  are  bad  times  in  store 
for  us  both  if  you  are  going  to  be  subject  to  those  spells  of  crying  and 
sorrow  as  came  over  you  now  and  then  before  we  left  Riverside.  I 
wonder  if  anything  can  be  done  to  put  an  end  to  this  state  of 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  23 

affairs  once  for  all  ?  I  would  give  a  good  deal  to  put  an  end  to  such  a 
very  mournful  state  of  affairs.  Can  you  suggest  no  remedy,  my  own 
dear  Beulah  ?" 

"I  am  not  aware,  Tom,"  said  I,  "that  there  can  be  any  remedy  in 
the  world,  unless  it  be  to  bring  my  mother  and  me  together  again.  I 
think  one  of  the  greatest  horrors  of  slavery  is  to  tear  a  family  in  pieces, 
I  firmly  believe  that  Almighty  God  is  driving  the  South  into  a  terrible 
war  that  she  may  receive  her  well-merited  punishment  for  her  blood-red 
crimes  like  these.  Even  one  of  her  preachers  once  preached  a  sermon 
in  defence  of  slavery,  and  he  took  for  his  text  these  words  of  Holy 
Writ,  'These  are  the  Lord's  doings,  and  they  are  wondrous  in  our 
eyes !'  Indeed,  Tom,  they  are  truly  wondrous  !" 

On  the  morning  after  this  conversation,  I  went  to  work  at  an 
early  hour  and  packed  my  trunk.  It  was  now  the  fall  of  the  year,  and 
glorious  weather  for  me  to  travel.  All  nature's  face  was  gay, 
and  I  myself  was  blessed  with  health  and  strength  and  vigorous  life. 
At  all  events,  I  felt  a  hundred  times  better  than  I  had  twenty-four 
hours  before !  The  sun  of  righteousness  had  risen  upon  me  with  heal 
ing  in  his  wings.  "Arise,  shine  forth,  for  thy  light  has  come,  and  the 
glory  of  the  Lord  has  risen  upon  thee." 

Once  more  I  found  myself  at  one  of  the  railway  stations,  and  took 
my  departure  for  Cincinnati,  by  way  of  Cleveland  and  Columbus,  Ohio. 
It  was  most  delightful  traveling  to  speed  over  the  rails  along  the  shore 
cf  Lake  Erie,  to  see  once  more  the  lovely  foliage  of  the  forests  of  the 
beautiful  state  of  Ohio,  and  then  at  last  to  skim  away,  and  away  down 
the  smooth  and  level  banks  of  the  Little  Miami  river,  where  I  could 
hardly  hear  or  feel  the  train  in  motion  at  all.  At  last  the  "beautiful 
river,"  as  the  French  called  the  Ohio,  hove  in  sight  once  more,  with 
the  delightful  hills  of  Kentucky  and  Ohio,  on  opposite  sides,  running 
up  from  the  water's  edge,  all  clad  with  forest  trees. 

I  next  came  to  Cincinnati,  and  the  "Public  Landing"  was  crowded 
with  passengers  and  traffic  going  up  and  down  the  river,  and  as  neither 
Tom  nor  myself  were  millionaires,  and  I  was  desirous  of  cheapening 
things  as  much  as  I  could,  I  went  aboard  one  of  these  floating  palaces 
of  the  Mississippi,  and  engaged  myself  as  a  waitress  for  the  voyage 
down  the  Mississippi.  The  "Natchez"  was  to  leave  at  4  P.  M.  the  same 
day,  so  I  got  my  trunk  on  board,  and  reported  myself  for  duty. 


24  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

I  gave  a  shout  for  joy  as  we  left  the  Public  Landing  and  floated  out 
on  the  mighty  and  splendid  Ohio.  Owing-  to  the  recent  heavy  rains  all 
along  the  head  branches  of  this  beautiful  river,  the  stream  was  swollen 
from  bank  to  bank,  and  presented  a  grand  appearance  as  we  plunged 
into  the  high-rolling  waves  and  surges  in  the  centre  of  the  river.  The 
glorious  sun  danced  upon  the  silvery  tide,  and  covered  all  the  forests, 
the  hills  and  dales  on  each  side  of  the  great  and  rushing  flood.  Huge 
barges  were  floating  down  from  Pittsburg,  and  the  far  North,  and  large 
and  small  craft  of  every  description  were  dancing  and  whirling  away, 
whistling  and  screaming  and  advancing  towards  us,  or  retreating 
around  the  bends. 

So  far  as  my  duties  on  the  boat  permitted,  my  eyes  were  never  off 
the  river,  the  hills,  woods  and  forests,  and  the  wild,  fast-flowing  traffic 
that  was  going  up  and  down,  and  which  seemed  to  have  no  end.  The 
red  and  fiery  sun  went  down  in  the  wild  waters  of  the  beautiful  river 
that  looked  like  heaving,  molten  gold;  then  up  came  the  silver  moon, 
and  turned  all  things  visible  into  silver  sheen. 

The  great  Creator,  indeed,  was  on  the  waves,  and  the  Natchez 
drove  on  at  a  rapid  rate.  We  had  now  the  Indiana  shore  on  our  right 
hand,  having  passed  the  Ohio  state  line  at  Lawrenceburg,  Indiana.  In 
the  early  morning  we  came  to  Louisville,  Ky.,  where  we  remained  for 
a  few  hours.  Here  we  passed  through  the  Portland  canal,  and  soon 
went  by  Riverside  Hall,  and  the  little  cabin  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
river.  It  stands  two  or  three  miles  below  New  Albany,  and  I  could 
see  some  of  our  dear  friends  standing  before  the  door.  It  was  here 
that  Tom  and  I  had  crossed  the  Ohio. 

The  "beautiful  river"  still  continued  to  increase  and  to  swell,  and 
we  plunged  along  at  a  gloric  us  rate.  All  on  board  seemed  to  be  in  a 
laughing  mood,  for  the  weather  was  superb,  and  that  floating  palace. 
"The  Natchez,"  swept  along  at  a  furious  speed.  You  can  talk  as  much 
as  you  please  about  a  light  heart,  but  during  this  most  delightful  voy 
age  mine  did  seam  "as  light  as  any  feather."  I  had  such  joyful  dreams 
every  night,  and  hailed  each  coming  morning  with  delight.  Indeed  I 
dressed  myself  every  morning  while  my  mouth  was  full  of  laughter. 

"What  are  you  laughing  at?"  "I  think  you  must  be  in  love." 
"You  always  appear  in  such  tip-top  humor/'  Such  remarks  were 
addressed  to  me  by  my  companions  in  the  waiting  department,  as  we 


HISTORICAL  UOMANCE  OF  TIIK   AMKUK'AN    NKCiRO.  25 

made  our  toilets  before  the  looking-glass.  To  which  I  would  reply, 
"1  am  laughing  for  the  self-same  reason  that  the  bird  sings  in  the  for 
est,  because  the  sun  shines.  As  the  children  say,  I  am  laughing  at 
nothing !" 

By  this  time  the  beautiful  hills  on  both  sides  of  the  Ohio  had 
fallen  away.  We  had  the  state  of  Illinois  in  front  of  us  at  last,  when 
we  passed  the  mouth  of  the  Wabash ;  and  lower  down  on  our  left,  the 
Cumberland  and  Tennessee  rivers  poured  all  their  flood  into  the  Ohio, 
after  they  had  drained  the  mountain  lands  of  Virginia,  North  Carolina, 
Georgia,  Alabama,  Tennessee  and  Kentucky.  "The  beautiful  river" 
was  beautiful  no  more,  but  on  both  sides  the  lands  were  flat  and  fertile. 

Ho  for  the  Mississippi !  What  a  rush  there  was  among  our  pas 
sengers  to  behold  the  great  "Father  of  Waters"  absorbing  our  smaller 
Ohio  at  Cairo,  in  the  state  of  Illinois.  The  city  of  Cairo  lies  right 
ir  the  fork  of  these  two  rivers — the  Mississippi  and  the  Ohio.  "Whew ! 
What  a  river !  Why,  to  be  sure,  this  is,  indeed,  something  like  a  river ! 
It  is  more  like  a  flowing  sea  of  fresh  waters  than  a  river,"  were  the 
remarks  of  a  gentleman  on  board,  and  the  sight  was  one  that  I  am 
sure  I  never  shall  or  can  forget,  either. 

Our  arrival  upon  the  Mississippi  seemed  to  add  to  my  good  hum 
or,  and  then  I  was  drawing  nearer  and  nearer  to  my  devoted  and  be- 
Icved  rrtother  every  hour,  and  I  seemed  to  have  a  firm  presentiment 
from  high  heaven  that  my  adventurous  mission  would  turn  out  a 
success. 

On,  on,  on,  we  rushed  night  and  day,  passing  the  mouths  of  the 
St.  Francis,  the  White,  the  Arkansas  and  Red  rivers  on  our  right  hand, 
and  the  Yazoo  and  other  smaller  ones  on  out  left.  It  grew  much 
warmer  as  we  advanced  farther  south.  WTe  were  now  coming  into 
the  lands  famed  for  the  cultivation  of  the  sugar  cane,  the  cotton  plant, 
and  the  rice.  The  only  thing  that  dampened  my  spirits  was  to  behold 
from  the  deck  of  the  swift-flying  Natchez,  hundreds  and  thousands  of 
oppressed  colored  people  toiling  and  sweating  in  the  sun,  whilst  their 
overbearing  overseers  stood  over  them,  whip  in  hand,  to  make  them 
work  on,  or  receive  the  lash  on  their  backs.  How  even  Southern 
people* could  look  upon  such  barbarity  as  that,  and  call  themselves 
Christians,  I  could  not  understand.  But  as  sure  as  there  is  a  God  in 


26  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

heaven,  there  is  a  terrible  "judgment  day"  in  store  for  all  this,  and  I 
firmly  believe  that  we  shall  all  see  it  very  .soon. 

What  was  to  hinder  Mrs.  Jackson  from  selling  me  down  South 
here,  and  forcing  me  to  work  till  I  died,  in  these  very  fields  that  I  can 
see  from  the  deck  of  the  Natchez?  Wherein  am  I  better  than  these 
full-blooded  Africans  before  my  eyes,  who  were  murderously  torn 
away  from  their  beautiful  homes  in  Africa,  brought  over  in  "floating 
hells,"  and  sold  like  cattle  in  the  markets  of  the  South?  Shall  not 
these  who  criminally  carry  on  the  slavetrade,  and  slavery,  soon  atone 
for  all  this?  As  surely  as  God  lives,  the  "judgment  day,"  even  in  this 
world,  cannot  be  far  off!  The  Southern  people,  like  the  doomed  in 
habitants  of  wicked  Jerusalem,  know  not  the  approaching  day  of  their 
visitation. 

Musing  in  this  way,  we  passed  the  cities  of  Memphis,  Helena, 
Vicksburg,  Natchez,  Baton-Rouge  and  Donaldsonville,  and,  at  last, 
amidst  a  great  deal  of  noise  and  excitement,  came  to  the  wharf  at  New 
Orleans. 

During  all  this  glorious  and  enchanting  travel  from  Buffalo  by 
rail  and  steamboat,  like  a  good  and  faithful  wife,  I  never  forgot  to  write 
every  second  day  to  my  brave  and  beloved  Tom,  and  I  knew  well  thnt 
he  would  be  greatly  interested  in  hearing  of  my  progress  down  the 
Ohio  and  the  Mississippi.  He  afterwards  told  me  that  he  used" to  read 
these  letters  of  mine  over,  and  over,  and  over  again,  and  sometimes 
before  he  went  to  sleep,  he  would  again  light  the  lamp  and  read  the 
last  "arrival"  from  end  to  end  once  more. 

Here,  then,  at  last,  the  good  boat  Natchez  has  brought  us  all  safe 
and  sound  to  New  Orleans,  in  the  Sunny  South.  There  is  no  snow 
here,  and  fruits  and  flowers  are  to  be  found  all  the  yearxround.  The 
climate  is  almost  tropical,  and  everything  out  of  doors  breathes  of 
orange  blossoms  and  all  those  exotics  found  in  the  warm  climates.  The 
whole  scene  had  an  irresistible  charm  for  me,  and  I  felt  a  pleasure  in 
being  in  the  state  of  Louisiana  that  I  felt  quite  unable  to  describe. 

But  even  the  charms  of  nature  and  the  strange  French  air  of  the 
people  did  not  produce  the  greatest  impression  on  me  here.  That 
which  produced  the  greatest  impression  of  all,  was  the  mighty  river 
Mississippi  itself,  and  the  immense  traffic  carried  over  its  irresistible 
waters.  It  is  true  that  its  banks  are  quite  plain  and  homely  when  com- 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  27 

pared  with  the  beautiful  Ohio  in  its  upper  and  middle  courses.  But 
then  the  Mississippi  is  so  big,  that  it  is  always  majestic,  solemn  and 
grand.  You  are  never  tired  of  looking  at  the  immense  and  gigantic 
"creature,"  and  especially  where  it  has  constructed  for  itself  a  high 
embankment,  cast  up  by  the  silt  and  overflow  of  its  muddy  waters, 
in  the  lofty  bosom  of  which  the  mighty  river  flows  as  in  an  elevated 
canal.  , 

And  thus  the  Natchez  was  high  up  above  the  level  of  the  plains  on 
our  right  and  left  hand,  and  we  could  look  down  on  the  valley  of  the 
Mississippi  from  the  deck  of  our  palatial  steamboat.  Oh,  the  Miss 
issippi  is  a  glorious  sight  to  behold,  always  immense,  solemn  and  grand  t 

The  next  thing  that  attracted  me  so  much  was  the  immense  traffic 
that  came  rolling  down  from  the  North,  and  that  ascended  the  stream . 
When  I  came  off  its  mighty  waters,  I  felt  as  if  I  was  coming  up  from  a 
wild,  riotous  and  troubled  sea.  And  though  forty-six  years  have  now 
fled  and  gone,  the  tremendous  impression  made  upon  my  heart  and 
soul  by  the  Father  of  Waters  remains.  I  therefore  cried,  Ho  for  the 
Mississippi !  as  I  walked  the  gang-plank  into  the  city. 

My  dear  and  beloved  mother,  Harriet  Jackson,  was  one  of  those 
religious  women  who  would  go  to  church  if  she  went  nowhere  else.  She 
went  to  the  A.  M.  E.  Church  whenever  she  could  get  there,  and  I  had 
ascertained  before  I  left  Riverside  Hall,  that  she  attended  the  services 
of  that  congregation  that  lay  nearest  the  mansion  of  the  family  to  whom 
she  had  been  sold.  I  cannot  say  that  she  belonged  to  that  family,  for 
slavery  was  nothing  but  a  system  of  robbery  in  its  best  estate.  She 
had  been  sold  down  the  river  to  an  ancient  French  family — Roman 
Catholics — but,  in  their  indifferent,  careless  way,  they  allowed  mother 
to  go  to  her  own  A.  M.  E.  Church.  She  was  so  steady  and  devoted 
in  her  ways,  and  so  very  remote  from  Kentucky,  that  they  regarded  it  as 
an  impossibility  that  she  would  ever  even  dream  of  making  her  escape  ; 
and  never,  never,  that  any  one  would  ever  come  after  her  in  this  far 
away  part  of  the  great  world. 

First  and  foremost,  then,  I  made  inquiries  from  those  who  could 
speak  English,  for  the  name  of  the  pastor,  and  found  it  with  no  great 
difficulty.  (As  my  complexion  was  so  light  and  fair,  I  passed  for  one 
of  the  whites  of  the  city.  There  are  many  thousands  of  "whites"  in 


28  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  T  UK  AMKIUCAN   NKdKO. 

the  South  like  me).  I  informed  the  reverend  gentleman,  when  I  first 
met  him,  that  I  wished  to  have  a  private,  confidential  talk  with  him. 
1  felt  that  I  was  indeed  conversing  with  a  father,  and  there  was  not 
the  slightest  fear.  He  informed  me  at  once  that  my  dear  mother  at 
tended  his  church,  and  was  a  warm-hearted  and  enthusiastic  member 
of  the  same.  He  said  she  would  be  at  the  prayer-meeting  that  very 
night,  and  named  the  hour  when  it  began ;  but  while  he  should  be  glad 
to  see  her  obtain  her  freedom,  it  was  the  part  of  prudence  that  it 
should  not  even  be  known  that  he  knew  anything  about  it,  as  they 
might  murder  him  outright  for  even  holding  his  tongue!  To  this  I 
replied  that  no  doubt  I  could  manage  very  well  myself,  and  that  mother 
would  perhaps  have  some  amendments  to  put  to  my  own  schemes 
after  we  met.  In  the  meantime,  I  engaged  a  room  with  a  nice  family, 
being  fully  resolved  to  stay  there  till  such  time  as  mother  could  make 
her  escape.  I  depended  upon  a  well-laid  plan,  and  to  carry  out  that 
plan  with  boldness..  When  I  got  myself  settled  in  my  temporary 
home,  and  had  written  another  letter  to  Tom,  I  walked  out  to  see  the 
far-famed  city  of  New  Orleans,  and  indeed  I  obtained  a  pretty  good 
idea  of  it  before  my  return  in  the  evening.  New  Orleans  is  indeed  a 
wonderful  place.  But  I  need  not  take  up  the  reader's  time  in  de 
scribing  this  quaint  French  city  in  America.  The  kind  reader  knows 
all  about  it  already.  What  I  am  most  of  all  interested  in  at  this  time  is 
the  meeting  with  my  beloved  mother,  and  getting  her  away  from 
slavery  into  a  land  where  she  shall  be  free  to  come  and  go,  and  do  as 
she  pleases,  just  as  I  am  doing! 

Many  thousands  of  slaves  obtained  their  freedom  by  running  away 
from  their  owners ;  some  of  them  encountered  great  difficulties  on 
the  way,  while  others  seemed  to  meet  with  no  difficulties  at  all.  I 
am  also  safe  in  saying  that  many  a  hundred  more  might  have  gained 
their  liberty,  but  they  were  simply  afraid  to  venture — they  were  too 
timid  to  take  the  first  step,  or  they  were  deterred  from  going  by  being 
unable  to  make  up  their  minds  to  leave  parents,  wives  and  children 
behind  them.  The  latter  step  was  proven  over  and  over  again  by  their 
running  away,  obtaining  their  freedom,  but  afterwards  becoming  so 
homesick  that  they  actually  returned  and  surrendered  themselves 
again  to  slavery,  being  unable  to  stay  away  from  those  they  loved  most 
upon  earth. 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  29 

The  African  is  both  pleased  and  cursed  by  being  possessed  of  a 
very  warm  heart,  and  tender  and  loving  affections.  This  is  indeed  a 
blessing  and  a  curse  at  one  and  the  same  time.  We  need  not  go  far 
for  the  proof,  for  I  myself  am  a  living  witness  to  the  same,  and  here 
1  was  at  New  Orleans  after  my  dearly-beloved  and  tender-hearted 
mother,  whom  I  was  unable  to  live  without ;  and  then  behold  what  I 
have  suffered  for  the  want  of  her  for  more  than  two  years — wrenched 
from  me  by  the  diabolical  ways  of  slavery,  and  the  malice  and  spite  of 
Mrs.  Jackson  !  If  my  pinings  and  regrets  have  been  so  great,  longing 
clay  and  night  after  my  dear  mother,  how  much  worse  must  that  dear 
mother  have  felt  for  the  loss  of  me  ?  I  dare  not  even  look  at  the  pic 
ture  !  But  our  prayers  have  been  heard  by  the  Lord ;  for  He  always 
hears  those  who  love  Him,  and  the  hour  for  the  prayer-meeting  is 
drawing  nigh ;  the  shades  of  night  are  at  last  falling  upon  the  long 
autumn  day,  and  I  find  myself  in  the  dusk  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
A.  M.  E.  Church,  watching  for  the  approach  of  my  mother,  as  maiden 
never  waited  for  the  coming  of  her  lover  advancing  among  the  trees 
to  the  well-known  trysting-place. 

All  things  come  to  those  who  wait,  and  here  she  comes  at  last ! 
She  is  as  sweet  and  graceful  as  ever,  and  her  step  as  light  as  the  grey 
hound's  !  I  advanced  to  meet  her,  first  looking  cautiously  around  into 
the  increasing  darkness,  that  no  other  was  too  near.  The  over-hanging 
trees  favored  our  meeting  as  I  came  up  to  her,  and  whispered  softly 
in  her  ear,  "Mother!"  We  took  each  other  by  the  hand,  and  kissed 
one  another,  when  she  hurriedly  drew  me  round  into  a  side  entrance 
TO  the  basement  and  rear  of  the  church,  where,  entering  a  small  class 
room  which  would  not  be  used  for  the  night,  we  sat  down  together, 
had  one  very  long  and  close  embrace,  and  the  happiness  of  that 
blessed  and  speechless  half  hour  seemed  to  me  to  equal  all  that  which 
might  be  called  out  of  an  ordinary  lifetime.  "Sweet  the  moments, 
rich  in  blessing,  which  within  thy  courts  I  spend !"  The  remaining 
hour  was  passed  in  conversation,  during  which  we  gave  and  received 
a  complete  history  of  the  time  that  had  elapsed  since  the  time  mother 
was  sold  down  the  river. 

"There  will  be  no  difficulty  whatever  about  my  getting 
away.  They  are  old  people,  and  have  not  the  remotest  idea 
that  I  would  ever  make  the  attempt.  The  best  time  for  us  to  leave 


30  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

will  be  at  this  hour  a  week  to-night,  and,  my  dear  daughter,  there  is  a 
big  leather  trunk  that  is  called  mine,  and  which  stands  in  my  little 
bed-room  upstairs,  in  an  out-of-the-way  wing  of  the  house,  which  I 
will  manage  to  send  empty  to  your  lodgings,  whither  I  will  send  or 
bring  my  entire  wardrobe  myself.  I  must  not  go  without  clothes,  as 
they  will  be  both  necessary  and  useful  for  me  for  years  to  come,  if  God 
my  life  shall  spare.  In  the  meantime  write  Tom  and  give  him  all  my 
love,  and  tell  him  when  he  may  expect  us  at  home." 

To  all  of  this  I  most  heartily  agreed,  and  I  was  more  happy  and 
lightsome  than  a  butterfly.  We  came  out  before  the  congregation, 
and  another  warm  kiss  and  embrace  under  the  trees,  then  mother  steer 
ed  away  homewards  for  the  old  French  mansion,  and  I  took  my  way 
to  my  lodgings,  where  the  people  received  me  with  great  affection.  I 
had  told  them  that  I  was  married,  and  wore  a  gold  ring  to  that  effect, 
because  without  giving  them  that  needful  piece  of  information,  young 
beaux  are  bad  for  coming  around  seventeen-year-old  girls,  and  I  did 
not  wish  any  of  the  kind  New  Orleans  flunkeys  to  be  coming  around 
me  with  any  of  their  sweet  kind  of  foolishness.  When  I  got  into  my 
bed-room,  I  found  the  flowers  of  the  Sunny  South  perfuming  the  whole 
place  like  cologne,  and  I  slept  like  the  angels  there.  Seven  days  and 
nights  came  and  went.  Mother  and  I  met  one  another  as  often  as  it 
was  discreet  and  prudent  for  us  to  do.  There  was  not. the  remotest 
suspicion  of  her  approaching  departure — much  less  of  the  direction 
which  we  meant  to  take.  Like  Tom  and  myself  leaving  Riverside 
Hall,  our  plans  were  well-laid  and  matured,  our  hearts  were  stout 
and  brave  within  us,  and  we  carried  things  out  with  a  bold  front. 

As  the  New  York  passenger  boat  Columbia  lay  at  her  pier  with 
steam  up  in  readiness  for  her  departure  on  the  following  Wednesday 
night,  while  the  streets  were  full  of  horses,  wagons,  porters,  passengers, 
and  all  the  rest  of  it ;  while  late  passengers  were  hurrying  into  the  of 
fice  to  get  their  tickets  for  New  York,  and  boys  were  shouting  the 
latest  edition  of  the  city  papers,  two  ladies  in  half  mourning  and  heavily 
veiled,  drove  up  in  a  carriage,  alighted  in  haste,  had  a  heavy  leather 
trunk  carried  on  board,  and  the  elder  of  the  two  (a  lady  seemingly 
about  thirty-six  or  thirty-seven  years  of  age)  made  for  the  ticket  office 
and  procured  tickets  for  two,  and  a  corresponding  cabin  for  New 
York.  These  two  ladies,  the  reader  will  understand,  were  my  own 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  31 

dear  mother  and  myself.  No  notice  was  taken  of  us  in  any  way.  All 
was  noise,  bustle  and  confusion  about  the  Columbia.  We  were  shown 
to  our  cabin  like  the  rest,  and  felt  at  home  at  once.  It  was  growing- 
dusk,  the  last  bell  was  rung,  and  with  anxious  hearts  and  high-beating 
hopes  we  cut  loose  from  the  shore,  and  plunged  out  into  the  great 
river.  The  night  being  warm  and  balmy,  as  is  usual  in  the  Sunny 
South,  mother  and  I  went  on  deck  to  see  our  own  departure,  and  to 
watch  the  passing  vessels  coming  to  and  going  from  the  port  of  New 
Orleans.  Here,  in  taking  leave  of  the  "Queen  City  of  the  South,"  as 
the  metropolis  of  Louisiana  is  called,  I  must  say  that  I  was-  most  de 
lightfully  impressed.  I  had  been  so  very  kindly  treated  on  all  hands, 
and  there  was  so  much  to  charm  the  senses  about  this  famous  French 
city.  As  for  mother,  the  depth  of  the  ocean  was  as  nothing  compared 
with  the  depth  of  her  contentment  at  getting  away  with  her  beloved 
Beulah,  the  separation  from  whom  had  given  her  so  much  sorrow. 

We  were  only  sorry  that  we  could  not  see  the  usual  sights  along 
the  Mississippi  river  to  the  same  extent,  as  if  we  had  left  in  the  morn 
ing.     But  that  was  impossible,  and  I  think  mother  and  I  had  great 
reason  to  thank  God  that  all  things  fitted  in  so  well  at  the  hour  of  our 
departure.     It  was  the  night  and  hour  for  the  prayer-meeting  at  the 
A.  M.  E.  Church — Wednesday  night — with  the  good  boat  Columbia 
leaving  at  the  same  hour.    In  this  crooked  world  it  is  a  difficult  thing  to 
make  all  things  work  together  just  as  we  want  them.    We  did  indeed 
want  to  see  our  poor,  oppressed  race  at  work  among  the  sugar-canes, 
the  cotton  and  the  rice,  and  the  orange  and  fig-trees,  and  all  the  rest, 
which  could  only  be  done  rightly  by  day.    We  did  indeed  see  plenty  of 
their  humble  quarters  and  cabins  along  the  shores,  and  some  little 
way  back  into  the  country,  and  knew  them  well  by  the  lights  in  the 
windows.    Alas,  alas !  for  these  poor,  dear,  miserable  creatures  !    There 
they  lay,  no  doubt,  sound  asleep — sleeping  in  the  sleep  of  the  oppressed 
— poor  old  men  and  women,  laboring  and  toiling  their  lives  away  under 
a  Southern  sun,  that  oppressors  may  feast  and  riot  at  their  expense. 
But  there  is  a  God  in  heaven,  and  we  snuffled  both  war  and  freedom 
in  the  wind.    Even  a  child  could  foresee  all  that. 

We  retired  early  to  bed.  When  were  too  women  ever  so  happy  on 
a  New  York  boat  on  the  Lower  Mississippi  ?  It  was  enough  to  make 
the  angels  laugh  for  joy,  to  think  of  it!  Our  departure  was  another 


32  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGKO. 

installment  in  swelling  the  volume  of  Southern  wrath  to  break  up  the 
Union,  as  the  Fugitive  Slave  Bill  would  not  work  in  their  favor. 
Mother  and  I — murmuring  our  thanks  to  Almighty  God — soon  fell 
into  a  happy  sleep,  while  the  Columbia  was  ploughing  her  way  down 
the  .Mississippi,  and  moving  out  at  the  mouth  of  one  of  the  passes,  as 
they  are  called,  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  When  we  came  back  on 
deck  next  morning,  the  weather  was  most  delightful.  The  water  was 
intensely  clear — indeed  it  was  as  clear  as  crystal !  All  things  smacked 
of  the  Southern  seas — of  Southern  people,  and  all  things  Southern.  In 
due  course  of  time  the  west  end  of  the  Isle  of  Cuba  hove  in  sight,  and 
soon  the  Columbia  tied  up  in  the  harbor  of  Havana. 

As  the  Columbia  was  to  remain  a  few  hours  at  Havana,  we  were 
permitted  to  go  ashore  to  see  the  most  famous  city  in  the  West  Indies. 
The  tropical  vegetation  was  all  that  the  heart  could  wish,  but  wha*  in 
terested  mother  and  me  the  most  was  the  quaint  old  city  of  the 
Spaniards,  and  the  different  races  of  people  who  inhabited  the  "Ever 
Faithful  Isle/  as  it  is  called.  Here  we  found  Spaniards  from  old  Spain, 
Spanish  Creoles,  free  colored  people  and  slaves.  I  hated  the  very 
sight  of  slavery  here  in  the  Spanish  island,  though  I  have  always  un 
derstood  that  slavery  was  less  cruel  here  than  in  the  Southern  States. 
But  all  the  same  it  is  slavery,  and  not  freedom.  Almighty  God  cer 
tainly  never^  meant  that  one  man  should  own  another.  Besides,  these 
odious  Spaniards,  a  lying,  thieving  nation,  have  promised  the  civilized 
nations  of  the  world  a  hundred  times  to  abolish  slavery,  but  they  have 
always  broken  their  promises,  and  they  will  continue  to  break  them 
until  they  are  compelled  to  give  their' slaves  up  by  force.  Spain  is  a 
dark,  suspicious  nation,  reduced  to  the  last  stages  of  poverty,  but 
swollen  with  ignorance  and  pride.  But  this  present  time  of  writing  is 
1897.  We  may  next  take  a  retrospect,  as  it  is  forty-two  years  since 
mother  and  I  were  at  Havana.  Poor  Spain  has  already  lost  all  her 
slaves,  because  she  could  keep  them  no  longer;  and  the  Cuban  war 
has  now  lasted  for  over  two  years,  during  which  the  patriots  have  gain 
ed  possession  of  the  whole  island,  except  a  few  fortified  towns  like 
Havana.  I  will  not  here  narrate  the  sights,  sounds  and  scenes  that 
came  under  our  observation  in  the  metropolitan  city  of  Cuba.  I  will 
just  mention  that  I  was  infinitely  amused  at  the  system  of  courtship 
that  was  in  vogue  in  their  parts.  The  young  men  went  to  see  their 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE' OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  33 

fair  lovers,  and  conversed  with  them  through  grated  windows,  the 
young  ladies  being  inside  the  bars,  and  the  young  gentlemen  standing 
outside  on  the  street.  I  never  think  of  these  funny  scenes  without 
laughter ! 

The  Columbia  got  up  steam  once  more,  and  we  got  out  of  the 
harbor  of  Havana,  passed  through  the  Florida  Straight,  and  in  a  few* 
days  were  off  Cape  Hatteras,  North  Carolina.  All  these  places  werer 
new  to  us,  and  as  the  fall  weather  was  of  the  most  delightful  descrip 
tion,  my  dear  mother  and  I  spent  a  great  deal  of  time  on  deck.  At 
last  Sandy  Hook  was  passed,  and  we  shortly  after  landed  in  New  York, 


CHAPTER  III. 

Mrs.  Lincoln  Brings  Her  Mother  to  Buffalo — Warm  Welcome  Home 
—Harriet  Jackson  married  to  Mr.  J.  B.  Sutherland — Letter  From 
Mrs.  Sarah  Jackson  and  Beulah's  Answer — Beulah,  Mrs.  Suther 
land  and  Tom  at  a  Great  Abolition  Meeting — A  Famous  Gather 
ing  of  the  Clans. 

Our  delight  at  being  once  more  on  shore  in  our  own  country,  and 
so  near  home,  and  for  the  first  time  in  the  full  possession  of  our  own 
freedom,  filled  our  hearts  and  souls  with  the  wildest  enthusiasm,  and 
from  the  very  bottom  of  our  hearts  we  blessed  and  praised  the  Lord 
for  His  mercy  endureth  forever. 

We  had  intended  to  send  a  telegram  to  my  own  dear  Tom  at 
Buffalo,  but  we  changed  our  minds,  and  determined  to  take  him  by 
surprise.  Besides,,  when  we  had  reconsidered  the  matter,  we  did  not 
deem  it  altogether  prudent  to  send  a  telegram,  because  there  were 
many  wealthy  families  in  New  York,  who  owned  thousands  of  slaves 
in  the  South,  and  in  some  respects  this  great  city  was  even  more  dan 
gerous  than  Georgia  and  Louisiana.  So  we  left  on  the  first  train  for 
llnffalo,  where  we  arrived  in  due  time,  and  hired  a  cab  that  took  us 
home.  Tom  had  left  the  key  with  a  good  neighbor,  so  we  opened  the 
door,  went  in,  and  prepared  tea  for  him  by  the  time  he  came  home.  It 
is  very  true  that  we  had  more  need  of  going  to  bed  than  to  thus  at 
tend  to  the  work  of  the  house;  but  we  were  so  excited  with  our  free 
dom,  our  successful  journey  from  New  Orleans,  and  the  exciting  times 
right  ahead,  that  we  never  thought  of  fatigue,  but  only  the  present 
enjoyment. 

At  last  we  saw  Tom  coming  up  the  street,  when  such  a  scene  en 
sued  as  it  would  take  the  very  angels  of  heaven  to  tell.  We  sat  up  to 
a  late  hour  that  night,  and  seemed  quite  unwilling  to  break  up  and 
retire  for  the  night.  The  pastor  of  the  church,  his  good  lady,  and  all 
the  friends  came  flocking  round  to  see  us,  and  the  rejoicing  over  our 
mother's  safe  arrival  from  the  land  of  slavery  was  both  loud  and  deep. 
When  we  next  went  to  church,  the  interest  there  was  most  unbounded, 


m 


HISTORICAL   ROMANCE  OK  THE   AMERICAN    NEdRO.  35 

and  the  enthusiasm  ran  higher  than  the  waves  of  the  sea.  We  made 
in>  secret  of  anything.  Abolition  was  now  under  full  swing;  the  "Bor 
der  Ruffians"  were  now  in  Kansas,  and  the  temper  of  the  whole  North 
was  up,  that  slavery  should  come  no  further.  Therefore  our  white  and 
colored  friends  came  on  in  droves  to  church  to  see  mother,  and  wel 
come  her  to  Buffalo,  and  prayer,  praise  and  hymns  of  rejoicing  were 
kept  ii})  till  a  late  hour.  Praise  ye  the  Lord,  for  He  is  good;  for  His 
mercy  endureth  forever! 

It  is  sometimes  a  very  difficult  thing  for  a  young  person  like  my 
self  at  this  time  to  know  what  to  do  for  the  best,  lest  I  should  be  doing 
wrong.  It  has  often  been  said  that  a  woman  cannot  keep  a  secret,  and 
I  am  bound  to  confess  that  I  had  hard  work  to  hold  myself  back  at 
this  time  from  writing  to  my  father  and  telling  him  the  good  news  of 
mother's  escape  from  slavery.  In  the  secret  of  his  heart  I  knew  well 
that  lie  would  rejoice  to  hear  it ;  but  Mrs.  Jackson  might  get  hold  of 
the  letter,  and  that  was  where  the  trouble  came  in.  In  fact,  so  far  as 
unruffiing  her  feelings  was  concerned,  I  did  not  care  whether  she  saw 
my  letter  or  not !  I  certainly  intended  to  pen  no  falsehoods,  and  saw  no 
good  reason  why  any  one  should  object  to  the  simple  truth.  Thus 
openly  to  publish  our  whereabouts  might  have  endangered  mother, 
Tom  and  myself,  because  the  Fugitive  Slave  Bill  was  on  the  National 
Statute  books.  It  is  true  that  some  of  the  Southerners  had  been  up  to 
the  far  North  after  their  fugitives,  and  tried  hard  to  carry  them  back  to 
slavery  ;  but  though  the  public  officers  were  vigorously  called  on  to 
do  their  duty,  according  to  the  letter  of  the  law,  the  general  public 
arose  against  such  arrests,  and  the  slave  hunters  had  to  go  home  again 
to  the  South  without  their  prey,  avowing  and  swearing  that  this  would 
never  *be  a  country  anyhow  till  slavery  extended  from  the  Lakes  to 
the  Gulf.  There  was,  therefore,  no  real  cause  for  fear  on  account  of 
either  mother,  Tom  or  myself.  I  had  promised  my  father  to  write 
again,  and  besides  he  had  sent  me  a  present  of  fifty  dollars,  which  I 
\vas  bound  to  acknowledge,  and  then  my  description  of  our  first  visit 
to  Niagara  had  been  broken  off  in  the  middle.  There  was  another 
thing  that  would  deter  Mrs.  Jackson  from  sending  any  expedition  af 
ter  us,  and  that  was  the  fact  that  we  were  right  on  the  Canadian  bor 
der,  there  being  nothing  between  us  and  the  British  dominions  but  the 
Niagara  river.  Indeed  this  was  the  true  reason  why  my  own  dear 


36  HISTORICAL  RO.MANC1-:  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

Tom  and  I  never  came  to  a  halt  till  we  reached  the  beautiful  city  of 
Buffalo.  Upon  the  least  hint  of  man-hunters  being  on  our  trail,  we 
hcid  nothing  to  do  but  steer  across  the  river,  where  we  could  have  a 
glorious  holiday  among  our  friends,  and  come  back  again  to  Buffalo  as 
soon  as  ever  our  pursuers  had  returned  home. 

One  thing  was  certain — if  I  were  going  to  write  at  all,  I  must 
write  soon,  or  let  it  slide  altogether.  Of  course,  I  could  never  make 
up  my  mind  to  follow  the  latter  alternative,  so  I  took  my  pen  in  hand 
and  sat  down  and  penned  the  following  epistle : 

BUFFALO.,  N.  Y.,  October.  1S55. 
To  Lemuel  Jackson,  Esquire, 

My  Dear  Father: — I  am  sure  it  shows  very  bad  manners  in  me  to  be 
so  very  slow  in  answering  your  thrice-welcomed  letter.  1  am  under  a 
thousand  obligations  to  you  for  your  present  to  my  own  dear  Tom  and 
me  on  the  occasion  of  our  happy  wedding.  We  consider  that  you  have  in 
deed  been  most  mindful  of  us.  and  we  return  you  our  warmest  thanks.  We 
are  both  well,  and  Tom  has  a  good  situation  on  Delaware  avenue,  the  prin 
cipal  residence  street  in  Buffalo. 

The  last  time  I  wrote  you,  I  was  giving  you  a  description  of  our  first 
visit  to  Niagara  Falls,  and  was  interrupted  in  the  middle  of  it  by  Tom's 
coming  home  to  tea,  in  company  with  our  pastor  and  his  wife.  1  am  now 
desirous  of  finishing  the  narrative,  but  before  I  do  so,  I  will  tell  you  some 
thing  that  will  indeed  surprise  you. 

You  will  remember  the  fits  of  sadness  and  depression  I  was  subject  to 
every  now  and  then  after  dear  mother  was  sent  down  the  river  to  New 
Orleans.  My  happy  marriage  had  suspended  these  attacks  altogether  for 
a  time;  but  one  day  in  the  beginning  of  the  fall,  they  returned  in  great 
force.  That  was  the  first  attack,  and  after  Tom  and  I  had  discussed  the 
matter  over,  it  was  at  last  fully  decided  that  1  must  not  have  a  second. 
If  you  wish  to  hear  all  the  particulars  of  what  followed,  I  am  quite  willing 
to  give  you  them;  but  in  the  meantime — after  your  own  style  of  writing— 
I  will  be  brief.  I  proceeded  to  New  Orleans,  rescued  mother  from  slavery, 
and  brought  her  safe  and  sound  home  to  Buffalo  on  the  steamer  ••Colum 
bia,"  by  way  of  Havana  and  New  York  City.  This  successful  and  happy 
event  has  caused  the  liveliest  satisfaction  to  dear  mother,  to  Tom  and  my 
self,  and  to  the  entire  population  of  Buffalo,  so  far  as  they  have  become 
acquainted  with  it.  Tom  is  quite  pleased  to  have  such  a  delightful  mother- 
in-law  in  the  house,  and  all  three  work  most  harmoniously  together. 

In  my  letter,  dearest  papa,  I  promised  to  give  you  the  rest  of  the  ac 
count  of  our  first  visit  to  Niagara  Falls.  As,  however,  I  have  so  very  much 
to  say,  and  as  I  think  it  may  please  you  better,  instead  of  giving-  you  the 


HISTORICAL  ROMAXrK  OF  TIIK  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  37 

rt-st  of  that  most  delig'htful  narration  and  description  in  my  own  words,  I 
will — on  Tom's  recommendation — send  you  a  most  capital  "Guide  to  Buf 
falo  and  Niagara  Falls,  with  Numerous  Illustrations." 

I  beg1  leave  now  to  draw  these  few  lines  to  a  close.  Mother  and  Tom 
write  in  lots  of  love  to  you,  and  I  am  sure  I  shall  be  delighted  to  receive 
even  half  a  dozen  lines  from  you  at  any  time  that  you  can  make  it  conve 
nient,  or  feel  disposed  to  write  your  dear  daughter.  And  I  am  yours  in  all 
affection,  BEULAH  JACKSON. 

Having  written  the  above  letter,  I  posted  it  at  once,  and  no  doubt 
but  it  was  received  in  a  couple  of  days  and  read  with  great  interest  by 
my  own  dear  father,  and  also  by  Mrs.  Jackson,  though  with  very  dif 
ferent  feelings  from  his.  I  was  perfectly  well  aware  that  there  was  an 
abundance  of  pent-up  wrath  in  her  imperious  temper,  and  that  it  would 
explode  one  of  these  fine  days ! 

As  my  mother,  Harriet  Jackson,  was  a  woman  of  great  hand 
someness,  beauty  and  a  thousand  graces,  and  still  comparatively  young, 
being  only  thirty-seven,  her  hand  was  sought  by  a  settled  and  most 
honorable  man  named  Mr.  John  B.  Sutherland,  a  resident  of  Buffalo, 
and  a  member  of  the  A.  M.  E.  Church.  They  had  a  nice  wedding  at 
the  church  on  Vine  street,  in  the  presence  of  an  applauding  and  highly- 
respectable  company.  It  was  a  perfect  union  of  hearts,  like  Jacob  and 
Rachel's  over  again.  As  we  had  plenty  of  room,  and  were  unwilling 
to  have  mother  set  up  a  different  establishment,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Suther 
land  took  up  their  residence  with  us,  and  all  things  went  on  most  har 
moniously  together.  The  Almighty  seemed  to  pour  His  richest  bless 
ings  upon  us  all,  and  we  tried  to  honor  and  glorify  His  holy  name  in 
all  that  we  did.  Our  experience  in  slavery  had  been  light,  and  we 
were  now  only  too  thankful  to  be  free. 

One  day  in  the  month  of  November,  Tom  received  the  following 
letter  from  Mrs.  Jackson  at  Riverside  Hall,  though  it  was  intended 
for  all  three  of  us: 

RIVERSIDE  HALL,  Near  Louisville,  November,   1855. 
Mr.  Thomas  Lincoln, 

Dear  Tom: — We  duly  received  all  your  letters,  and  also  the  Buffalo 
newspaper  with  an  account  of  the  marriage  of  Harriet  to  Mr.  John  B. 
Sutherland.  That  would  all  be  right  enough  if  you  were  white  people,  or 
even  free  people  of  color,  but  the  whole  three  of  you  are  neither  one  nor 


38  HISTORICAL  RO M  A  N ( ! K  OK  Til  K  A  M  K I { I (  A X   N  K( i  1 1( ). 

the  other.  You  are  our  goods  and  chattels,  and  our  runaway  slaves,  and  we 
have  decided  to  bring1  you  back,  or  else  you  must  pay  us  the  red  need  sum 
of  one  thousand  dollars  apiece;  that  is,  two  thousand  dollars,  when  we 
will  give  you  your  free  papers,  and  a  full  discharge.  As  your  master  and 
mistress,  we  are  herein  doing  you  a  great  favor,  for  we  could  easily  get 
two  thousand  dollars  apiece  for  each  of  you,  Tom  and  Beulah,  in  the  public 
market.  I  suppose  you  are  aware  that  the  Fugitive  Slave  r>ill  is  the  law  of 
the  land,  and  in  case  you  do  not  give  us  satisfaction  immediately,  we  will 
proceed  to  put  the  law  in  force,  and  either  bring-  you  back  to  Riverside 
Hall,  or  sell  you  down  the  river.  Now,  Tom,  a  word  to  the  wise  is  suffi 
cient.  We  shall  look  for  a  letter  from  yoii  soon. 

I  am  yours  respectfully, 

SARAH  .IACKSOX. 

When  the  above  letter  arrived  at  our  house,  the  whole  four  of  us 
were  seated  at  the  tea  table  in  the  evening,  and  laughing  first  over  one 
thing  and  then  another,  as  people  will  do  at  eventide  when  the  work 
of  the  day  is  dome.  We  read  the  letter  aloud  in  the  midst  of  great  sport 
and  laughter,  which  went  on,  grew  and  increased  the  more  we  exam 
ined  it.  It  was  the  work  of  Mrs.  Jackson  and  hers  alone.  Xone  of  us 
believed  that  father  knew  anything  about  it  at  all,  and  I  am  sure  he 
did  not.  Mrs.  Sarah  Jackson  evidently  was  unable  to  keep  down  her 
temper  and  spite  after  all  our  grand  escapades,  marriages  and  other 
things. 

"Why,"  said  Mr.  Sutherland,  "I  suppose  she  will  be  coming-  on 
us  with  bloodhounds  themselves !  She  would  look  grand  in  hunting- 
costume  on  the  streets  of  Buffalo  with  bloodhounds !" 

"What  makes  me  laugh,"  remarked  Tom,  "would  be  to  see  the 
boys  and  young  lads  pelting  those  dogs  with  stones,  and  belaboring 
their  sides  with  big  sticks !" 

This  was  followed  by  another  shout  of  loud  laughter,  when 
mother  exclaimed, 

"She  would  indeed  be  a  sight  well  worthy  of  a  first-class  painter 
in  the  midst  of  an  infuriated  crowd  who  were  bent  upon  our  protection 
and  rescue." 

As  it  was  now  my  turn  to  put  in  a  word,  I  remarked, 

"She  had  better  send  nobody  after  us.  It  is  now  five  years  since 
the  passage  of  the  Fugitive  Slave  Bill,  which  no  man  can  enforce. 


HISTORIC  AL   KOMAXCK  OKTHK   AM  K.lilCAN   NEGRO.  39 

because  the  Christian  spirit  of  the  North  will  not  have  it,  and  the 
North  is  right  to  resist  it." 

The  question  next  arose  as  to  who  should  answer  the  letter.  Tom 
and  Mrs.  Sutherland  absolutely  refused  to  answer  it  in  any  shape  or 
form,  so  I  took  pity  on  the  great  lady  of  Riverside  Hall,  and  said  that 
I  would  answer  her  one  of  these  fine  days,  which  would  be  both  sport 
and  pleasure  for  me,  and  then  perhaps  she  would  let  us  all  have  a  rest. 
So  in  a  few  days  after  the  receipt  of  her  wonderful  letter,  I  took  up  my 
pen  and  wrote  as  follows : 

BUFFALO,  N.  Y.,  November,   1855. 
Mrs.  Sarah  Jackson, 

Madam:  As  both  Tom  and  Mrs.  Sutherland  have  absolutely  refused  to 
take  the  slightest  notice  of  your  letter,  it  has  fallen  to  me  to  answer  it. 
1;  \voukl  not  suit  the  convenience  of  any  of  us  to  come  to  Riverside  Hall 
at  this  time,  or,  indeed,  to  go  anywhere  else.  Even  if  we  had  all  the  op 
portunities  in  the  world,  we  would  not  come  to  Riverside  unless  we  came 
as  specially  invited  guests;  ia  visit,  in  short,  that  would  be  a  mutual  grati 
fication  to  us  all.  But  at  this  time,  Tom  has  got  a  most  excellent  situation 
on  Delaware  avenue,  the  grand  residence  avenue  of  Buffalo;  besides,  he  has 
•married  a  wife,  and  therefore  he  cannot  come.  (Such  is  the  language  of 
Holy  Writ). 

As  for  myself,  the  grand  committee  on  abolition  have  engaged  me  to 
give  a  number  of  lectures,  and  to  sing  at  their  meetings  in  the  interest  of 
the  freedom  of  all  those  who  are  held  in  the  South  in  enforced  and  involun 
tary  bondage.  The  committee  on  freedom  think  that'  the  presence  of  a 
Doling  woman  like  me  would  help  on  'the  good  cause,  draw  the  crowds,  and 
drive  another  nail  into  the  coffin  of  slavery  in  Kentucky,  and  wherever  the 
hated  institution  exists. 

It  will  not  be  a  very  hard  thing  for  me  to  make  out  a  clear  case  against 
slavery,  and  in  favor  of  freedom.  Now,  just  look  at  myself,  and  all  those 
graces  and  qualifications  that  I  possess  and  inherit  from  both  father  and 
mother,  and  how  our  gracious  Lord  has  cut  me  out  to  be  something,  and 
to  do  something  in  the  world!  Suppose  that  I  had  chosen  to  remain  at 
Riverside  Hall!  What  was  to  hinder  you  spiriting  me  away  to  the  cotton 
fields  of  the  Sunny  South  to  wear  my  life  away  as  if  I  were  a  mere  animal, 
instead  of  being  a  human  being  like  yourself,  and  one  for  whom  Christ 
died?  I  therefore  rejoice  at  dear  mother's  freedom;  for  slavery  is  noth 
ing  but  a  revolting  crime — a  system  of  robbery  and  murder!  Now,  here 
I  am,  and  in  a  short  time  intend  to  appear  on  the  public  stage  in  the  ca 
pacity  of  a  lecturer,  a  singer  and  a  player  on  the  piano.  Just  fancy  the 
idea  of  a  handsome  young  woman  of  seventeen,  like  myself,  being  sold 
away  to  Louisiana  or  Georgia  'to  wear  my  life  away  among  the  rice  fields, 


40  HISTORICAL  KOMANC  K  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

the  cotton  and  the  cane,  when  nature  has  qualified  me  with  gifts  anil 
graces,  the  admiration  of  my  gallant  and  clever  Tom,  amd  the  "pick"  of 
the  general  public  to  serve  against  slavery  in  the  Northern  States!  I 
only  hope  that  I  shall  be  able  to  do  my  full  share  to  help  on  the  great 
conflagration  that  is  now  raging  all  over  the  free  states,  and  which  I  hope 
will  never  cease  burning  until  it  has  burnt  the  whole  "institution"  down 
to  the  ground.  Here  in  the  North  I  shall  be  seen  and  heard  by  legions  of 
people.  But  who  would  ever  see  or  hear  me  in  the  cotton  fields,  or  1ln- 
sugar  plantations,  and  in  the  rice  swamps  of  Louisiana  or  Georgia? 

I  have  failed  to  answer  your  letter  in  the  way  intended.  What  im 
pression  you  intended  to  make  on  my  mind  is  more  than  I  know.  Your 
statements  were  nothing  but  the  old  parrot  cries  of  the  South,  that  have 
been  heard  for  many  years.  Of  course,  you  cannot  compel  us  to  come 
back  so  long  as  we  ourselves  object.  If  you  write  us  any  more,  and  expect 
your  letters  to  be  read,  you  will  have  to  make  them  of  a  readable  character. 
We  will  tolerate  no  less  respect  than  if  you  were  writing  to  the  Bishop  or 
his  wife.  I  know  you  don't  wish  your  letters  to  be  returned  to  you  un 
read.  "A  word  to  the  wise  is  sufficient." 

I  am  yours  very  respectfully, 

BEULAH  JACKSON. 

The  country  continued  to  ring  with  abolitionism.  Orators  and 
agitators  continued  to  traverse  it  in  all  directions.  Men  and  women 
mounted  the  rostrum,  and  held  forth  hour  after  hour  before  greatly- 
interested  gatherings  of  both  sexes  and  all  ages.  Fugitive  slaves  who 
had  made  their  escape  over  the  lines  were  introduced  upon  the  plat 
form,  and  gave  their  wonderful  experiences  of  slavery  in  the  South, 
and  how  they  managed  to  get  away.  It  was  thrilling  to  hear  some 
of  them  tell  of  all  the  dangers  they  encountered  upon  the  road ;  how 
they  were  pursued  for  hundreds  of  miles  by  men,  horses  and  even 
bloodhounds;  how  they  were  assisted  by  free  people  of  color,  and 
even  by  those  in  bondage  and  white  people ;  and  thus  helped  along 
week  after  week,  and  month  after  month,  till  they  felt  that  they  were 
at  last  both  safe  and  free.  When  we  consider  how  the  slave  States 
passed  one  law  after  another,  and  all  pulled,  and  hauled,  and  banded 
together  to  protect  and  perpetuate  their  hold  upon  their  human  prop 
erty,  it  was  most  wonderful  how  very  many  slaves  effected  their  es 
cape.  The  nearer  the  awful  storm  came  to  breaking  over  our  heads, 
the  more  numerous  grew  the  successful  escapes  that  were  made.  The 
frantic  South  still  kept  tying  the  strings  tighter  and  tighter;  but  in- 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  41 

stead  of  producing1  the  effect  she  desired,  the  more  daring  grew  the 
soul  of  the  intrepid  slave,  who  seemed  encouraged  by  the  very  God  of 
battles  himself  to  strike  for  liberty  and  flee  to  the  North. 

Thus  the  grand  storm  went  on,  increased  and  grew.  Fred.  Doug 
lass,  William  Lloyd  Garrison,  and  many  other  famous  writers  con 
tinued  to  issue  their  papers  week  by  week,  or  month  by  month.  The 
agitation  was  kept  at  fever  heat  by  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men  and 
women.  Still  the  Abolitionists  did  not  have  the  entire  field  to  them 
selves,  for  there  were  thousands  and  thousands  of  people  in  the  North 
ern  states  who  believed  in  slavery  for  the  colored  man  as  much  as  the 
Southern  slave-holder  himself,  away  down  in  Louisiana  and  Georgia. 
But  Henry  Ward  Beecher,  Mrs.  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe,  and  others 
without  number  continued  to  lay  on  with  hard  licks  and  steady  blows ; 
the  public  conscience  of  the  free  States  became  more  and  more  edu 
cated,  and  the  people  in  general  came  to  take  a  sympathetic  interest 
in  the  oppressed  African  they  had  never  done  before.  The  presence  of 
the  poor,  oppressed  fugitive  slaves  in  their  meetings,  and  seen  stream 
ing  along  the  North  towards  the  Great  Lakes  and  Canada,  with  the 
marks  of  the  "peculiar  institution"  stamped  for  life  upon  their  backs, 
were  proof  positive  that  none  could  deny.  The  furious  quarrel  was 
carried  into  the  halls  of  Congress  at  Washington,  and  the  South  was 
unable  to  keep  it  out,  though  they  made  the  most  determined  efforts 
to  do  so.  The  Quakers  and  all  the  friends  of  the  slaves  were  forever 
at  it,  ding-dong,  hammer  and  tongs,  and  thus  the  family  quarrel  went 
on.  John  Brown  and  free-soil  men  were  in  Kansas,  and  so  were  the 
"Border  Ruffians"  who  came  pouring  in  from  Missouri  and  the  South, 
being  determined  to  carry  Kansas  and  all  other  new  States  and  terri 
tories  into  slavery  like  the  rest  of  the  slave  States  in  their  rear.  And 
still  the  great  American  family  quarrel  went  on,  increased  and  grew, 
and  the  Christian  voice  of  the  North  declared,  "Thus  far  shalt  thou 
come  and  no  further;  and  here  shall  thy  proud  waves  be  stayed."  The, 
far-away  Christian  nations  of  the  world  watched  the  gathering  of  the 
coming  tempest  from  over  the  seas,  and  it  was  apparent  to  their  un- 
obscured  vision  that  a  fearful  judgment  was  coming  upon  America, 
and  that  it  would  not  be  long  in  corning,  either. 

The  escape  of  mother  and  Tom  and  myself  from  slavery  caused  no 
small  sensation  in  and  around  Buffalo.  An  endless  tide  of  visitors 


42  lilSTOKICAL   KO.MA.NTK  OF  THK   AMKKICAN    NKHKO. 

came  on  to  see  us,  and  they  had  a  thousand  questions  to  ask  us  about 
our  early  life  and  experiences  in  Kentucky  and  Louisiana.  As  Lem 
uel  Jackson  had  caused  us  to  be  duly  educated,  so  that  we  could  even 
play  the  piano  well,  we  were  rather  more  fortunate  in  the  line  of  educa 
tion  than  most  of  our  fugitive  brothers  and  sisters.  In  those  days,  great 
anti-slavery  demonstrations  were  all  the  go.  The  announcement  that 
some  great  national  abolitionist  was  to  be  on  hand  at  the  Hall,  to  ad 
dress  the  general  public  on  the  wrongs  and  crimes  of  slavery,  would 
pack  the  whole  place,  and  sometimes  the  crowds  that  came  could  not 
find  even  standing  room.  Then  music  was  added  at  times,  songs  were 
sung,  even  brass  and  stringed  bands  were  brought  into  play,  and 
everything  was  done  to  draw  the  prohibition  hosts  of  the  great  North, 
then  to  keep  them  there,  and  finally  to  make  them  come  again. 

The  Abolitionists  took  advantage  of  our  presence  in  Buffalo  to 
help  one  grand  meeting  in  the  city  for  the  purpose  of  making  a 
demonstration  in  force,  to  prove  that  colored  people  were  just  the 
very  same  as  white  people  when  they  were  educated  and  polished,  as 
we  three  had  been.  Because  the  lie  had  been  repeated  ten  thousand 
times  in  the  South,  and  reechoed  by  their  abetting  friends  in  the  North, 
that  we  were  unfitted  for  civilization,  and  that  the  African  was  formed 
by  God  himself  for  slavery,  and  for  slavery  alone,  and  was  never  in 
tended  by  nature  to  be  the  equal  and  companion  of  white  men  and 
women !  It  was  considered  that  our  presence  in  a  highly  intelligent 
audience  would  knock  that  argument  completely  on  the  head,  and 
kill  the  abominable  falsehood  once  for  all.  Therefore  they  made  a  dem 
onstration  in  force,  and  we  ourselves  were  on  hand. 

When  the  night  and  hour  arrived,  Tom,  mother  and  myself  pro 
ceeded  to  the  hall,  which  was  already  half  full,  though  we  were  there 
early.  We  saw  that  great  things  were  expected  of  us  all,  and  we 
braced  ourselves  up  for  the  occasion,  determined  that  nobody  should  go 
away  disappointed.  The  music  discoursed  sweet  tunes  as  the  people 
were  gathering,  and  in  due  course  of  time  the  Rev.  Doctor  Henderson 
called  the  meeting  to  order,  and  took  the  chair  for  the  evening.  He 
called  on  our  pastor  to  offer  up  prayer  to  the  Giver  of  every  good  and 
perfect  gift.  The  glee  club  then  sang  "The  Negro's  Complaint/'  which 
was  written  by  Mr.  William  Cowper,  of  England.  Then  the  chairman 
exclaimed, 


IIISTOKK  AL    KO.MANCK  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  43 

"Now,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  the  slave-holders  tell  us  that  the 
children  of  African  descent  in  these  United  States  are  unfitted  for 
civilization,  and  that  they  are  nothing  but  goods  and  chattels.  I  will 
now  call  upon  one  specimen  of  these  goods  and  chattels  to  give  us  a 
rattling-  tune  on  the  grand  piano,  and  to  sing  us  'The  Mocking  Bird/ 
and  put  some  life  in  it."  (Great  display  of  approbation,  mingled  with 
shouts  of  loud  laughter). 

Then  said  the  reverend  speaker,  turning  to  myself, 

"Mrs.  Lincoln,  will  you  be  so  kind  as  to'  favor  us  with  some  of 
your  warm  Southern  music  ?" 

Now,  of  course,  the  indulgent  reader  will  readily  understand  that 
upon  this  august  occasion  I  was  arrayed  like  a  bride  adorned  for  her 
husband.  So  I  arose,  bowed  to  the  audience,  and  put  on  one  of  my 
sweetest  smiles,  and  proceeded  to  play  and  sing  with  unusual  vigor. 
When  I  came  to  the  chorus  the  whole  audience  joined  in,  and  I  thought 
they  would  have  brought  down  the  roof  of  the  hall  on  our  heads.  Nor 
\\a^  that  the  best  part  of  it,  because  they  not  only  sang  at  the  end  of 
each  verse,  but  when  1  got  through  the  entire  audience  arose  upon 
'heir  feet  and  shouted  their  applause,  calling  for  an  encore,  and  would 
not  be  refused. 

I  gave  them  a  Southern  song  with  music,  for  which  they  gave 
me  another  sounding  cheer,  when  Dr.  Henderson  introduced  my  hon 
ored  mother,  Mrs.  Sutherland,  in  the  following  happy  terms : 

"Dear  Friends:  We  are  assembled  here  to-night,  in  our  accus- 
lomed  place  of  meeting,  to  give  the  grand  chariot  of  progress  another 
push  towards  the  bottom  of  the  hill.  (Loud  applause).  The  lesson 
we  wish  to  teach  upon  this  special  and  most  exceptional  occasion  is 
to  show  what  the  colored  race  are  capable  of  doing  and  becoming  if 
they  had  simply  an  open  field  and  fair  play.  It  is  our  desire  to  see 
them  get  an  open  field  and  fair  play!  (More  applause)^.  But  I  will 
not  detain  this  large  and  splendid  audience  any  longer,  but  at  once 
introduce  to  you  Mrs.  John  B.  Sutherland,  formerly  of  Kentucky,  but 
iiow  of  Buffalo,  who  will  entertain  us  for  a  time  and  address  the 
house."  * 

Loud  applause  followed  the  Doctor's  remarks,  when  my  honored 
mother  came  to  the  front  of  the  platform,  and  spoke  as  follows : 

"My  good  friends,  T  consider  myself  most  especially  honored  this 


44  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

night  to  be  permitted  to  come  before  you,  to  assist  in  driving-  another 
nail  into  the  coffin  of  the  'peculiar  institution'  from  whose  clutches  I 
have  just  been  rescued  by  the  kindness  and  daring  of  my  own  daugh 
ter.  (Loud  cheers).  The  South  has  told  you  ten  thousand  times  that 
we  of  the  colored  race  are  only  fit  for  hewers  of  wood  and  drawers  of 
water,  like  the  Gibeonites.  These  drawers  of  water  of  our  poor,  op 
pressed  race,  that  they  themselves  may  live  in  mansions  more  pala 
tial  than  the  lords,  and  barons,  and  dukes  of  Continental  Europe  and 
the  British  Isles.  Who  ever  heard  of  such  unmanliness  and  cowardice  ? 
Men  who  ape  the  aristocracy  of  Europe,  and  even  surpass  them  in  bril 
liant,  grand  diplays,  wringing  their  wealth  from  the  oppressed  African ! 

"I  tell  you,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  that  Almighty  God  is  getting 
tired  of  such  refined  badness,  and  that  the  day  is  coming,  and  will  soon 
bo  here  when  such  a  storm  of  wrath  will  be  upon  the  South  as  will  wipe 
out  the  blood-red  crime  of  slavery  from  Mason  and  Dixon's  line  to  the 
Rio  Grande.  The  sooner  that  day  of  judgment  comes  the  better ! 

"Just  look  abroad  over  all  these  far-spreading  Northern  and  West 
ern  States,  and  hear  how  they  are  ringing  with  the  loud  notes  of  free 
dom,  and  the  sounds  of  coming  conflict !  I  am  free  to  say  that  upon 
this  night,  and  at  this  very  hour  there  are  hundreds  of  meetings  going 
on  all  along  the  Northern  States  for  the  purpose  of  enlightening  the 
nation  as  to  the  real  character,  intentions  and  purposes  of  the  South . 
The  South  is  not  ignorant  of  these  things.  They  have  got  Argus  eyes 
for  all  we  do,  both  in  Congress  and  out  of  it,  and  they  will  push  things 
as  fast  and  as  far  as  they  dare.  They  will  give  us  no  rest  till  we  are 
either  all  slaves,  or  all  free !  (Loud  applause).  I  look  around  me  at 
the  political  skies,  and  I  see  them  growing  blacker  and  blacker  as  the 
great  national  storm  is  gathering.  John  Brown  and  the  free-soil  men 
are  in  Kansas ;  loud  and  angry  words  are  being  bandied  forth  between 
the  occupants  of  the  two  ends  of  the  house — between  the  powerful 
North  and  the  passionate  South.  From  words  they  will  most  assur 
edly  come  to  blows  over  that  very  'peculiar  institution,'  and  American 
slavery  and  all  the  evils  that  follow  in  its  train,  will  pass  away.  But 
of  one  thing  rest  assured.  The  South  will  never  consent  to  emanci 
pate  her  slaves.  They  have  been  throwing  it  up  in  the  face  of  the 
North  these  past  fifty  years  that  they  can't  get  their  own  way;  they 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  45- 

will  go  out  of  the  Union,  and  set  up  a  slave  empire  of  their  own.  Then 
they  will  attempt  a  dissolution  of  these  glorious  States.  Then  they 
will  dare  and  defy  you  to  force  them  back  into  the  Union  by  the  sword. 
The  day  is  coming,  and  what  will  you  do  about  it  ?  (Great  cheering). 


CHAPTER  IV. 
Continuation  and  End  of  the  Great  Abolition  Meeting  at  Buffalo. 

"The  determination  of  the  slave-holding  oligarchy  is  to  keep  our 
persecuted  race  under  a  bushel — both  soul  and  body — and  to  sit  down 
on  the  top  of  that  bushel  for  all  coming  time.  They  are  stone  blind  to 
the  fact  that  they  are  sitting  on  the  top  of  a  bushel  of  dynamite,  which 
will  blow  them  sky-high  one  of  these  days,  with  terrible  effect.  They 
have  entirely  forgotten  that  this  world  belongs  to  God :  and  they  and 
the  devil  between  them  have  made  up  their  minds  to  do  as  they  please. 
Between  bloodhounds  and  cowhides  they  think  they  will  do  very  well. 
My  own  firm  belief  is  that  a  war  is  coming  upon  us  that  will  carry 
mourning  into  every  house  in  this  great  republic,  both  North  and 
South.  There  are  thousands  and  ten  thousands  of  the  very  same  opin 
ion  as  myself.  The  South  will  never  surrender  their  'peculiar  institu  - 
tioiv  If  it  were  dogs,  cows  or  horses  that  they  were  called  upon  to 
give  up,  they  would  cheerfully  give  them  up  for  a  fair  price.  But  the 
very  "Old  Lad"  himself  is  in  the  business  when  it  comes  to  claim  prop 
erty  in  men  and  women,  especially  when  those  men  and  women  hap 
pen  to  be  better  than  themselves,  which  is  usually  the  rase.  (Loud 
laughter  and  cheering  all  over  the  hall).  When  a  dog,  a  horse  or  a 
cow  runs  away,  they  will  let  it  go,  but  if  it  be  a  man  or  a  woman,  tlu-y 
will  pursue  the  fugitive  over  mountains,  lakes  and  rivers,  and  even 
die  in  the  attempt  to  bring  them  back  to  slavery.  If  this  rising  storm 
shall  end  in  a  war,  the  old  lie  that  the  black  man  will  not  fight  will  cer 
tainly  be  exploded,  for  every  slave  will  go  to  the  field,  if  necessary, 
and  their  strong  arms  will  knock  down  the  'peculiar  institution.' 
(Great  applause). 

"On  my  way  down  the  Mississippi  to  Xew  Orleans,  they  brought 
an  old  colored  man  on  board,  having  sold  him  to  a  family  resident  in 
the  Queen  City  of  the  South.  I  conversed  much  with  that  grand  old 
hero,  and  it  was  wonderful  to  see  what  an  intuitive  knowledge  he  had 
of  human  nature,  and  what  a  ^yast  amount  of  natural  goodness  there 
was  still  left  in  him,  after  so  much  hard  experience,  labor  and  toil 


ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 


HISTORICAL   ROMANCE  OFTHK  AMERICAN    NECJIM).  47 

among  the  cane  brakes  and  cotton  fields.  Such  a  man  as  Judah — for 
that  was  his  name — ought  to  have  been  a  bishop  in  the  Church  of  God, 
instead  of  being  reckoned  among  the  bales  and  bundles,  and  goods  and 
chattels,  of  the  Southern  States.  If  that  good  man  (who  left  such  a 
deep  impression  on  the  hearts  and  minds  of  all  Christian  people  who 
conversed  with  him) — if  he  had  been  free  according  to  the  will  of  God, 
and  been  educated  like  white  men,  instead  of  being  robbed  and  plun 
dered  of  his  rights,  he  would  have  made  a  splendid  bishop,  for  I  am 
perfectly  positive  that  he  had  every  qualification  for  that  office  in  the 
highest  degree.  That  saintly  man — that  Judah — should  this  very  day 
be  the  right  reverend  and  honored  bishop  among  his  brethren  in  a 
nation  where  all  are  free,  instead  of  being  no  more  than  a  favored  span 
iel  or  ornament  to  grace  the  pride  of  some  family  in  New  Orleans.  If 
that  grand  old  man  had  only  had  the  same  opportunities  that  the  white 
bishops  have  had,  he  would  at  this  hour  be  gracing  the  churches  and 
halls  of  this  nation,  the  very  same  as  white"  men  do.  The  day  of  judg 
ment  is  at  hand  that  will  reverse  all  that ! 

"On  the  same  voyage  down  the  Mississippi  to  New  Orleans,  they 
brought  on  board  a  fair  and  beautiful  creature  of  seventeen,  who,  like 
Jr. dab,  was  also  intended  to  grace  a  baronial  hall  in  the  Queen  City 
of  the  South.  A  more  attractive  woman  I  have  never  seen  anywhere. 
It  was  pitiable  to  think  of  her  future.  She  was  graceful  in  all  her 
movements ;  most  handsome  ;  had  a  musical  voice,  and  was  withal  a 
splendid  singer.  Where  she  was  born  I  cannot  tell,  but-  they  gave 
$2,500.  for  her !  The  more  I  looked  at  poor  Julia,  the  more  mournful 
I  became.  What  a  glorious  ornament  for  society  she  would  have  been 
had  she  been  free  !  Almost  any  honorable  man  would  have  been  proud 
to  make  her  his  wife.  She  could  have  led  the  choir  in  the  house  of 
God,  and  could  have  sung  with  the  minstrels  before  Queen  Victoria 
and  all  the  crowned  heads  of  Europe.  She  might  have  been  a  bright 
and  shining  light  in  some  way  or  other,  under  the  guiding  hand  of 
divine  providence ;  her  life  and  times  might  have  been  written  by  some 
famous  author,  and  read  by  millions  of  people  in  this  and  other  nations 
of  the  earth. 

"In  this  way  we  can  go  on  to  the  end  of  the  chapter.  Our  tra- 
ducers  and  slanderers  say  that  we  are  unfit  for  this,  that  and  the  other 
thing,  which  is  a  deliberate  and  willful  falsehood.  We  are  well  quali- 


48  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

fied  for  everything  that  any  other  race  upon  earth  is  qualified  to  per 
form,  and  that  is  the  very  reason  why  our  maligners  say  we  are  not ; 
and  they  are  even  unwilling  to  give  us  the  chance  to  try.  It  is  true 
that  a  few  of  us  are  educated,  but  very  few.  We  three,  that  is,  myself 
and  daughter  and  her  husband,  were  taught  a  little  because  we  were 
favorably  situated  under  Mr.  Jackson,  but  the  slave-holders,  as  a  gen 
eral  thing,  make  a  specialty  of  keeping  us  in  the  most  complete  ignor 
ance,  and  it  is  a  crime  for  a  slave  to  be  taught  to  read,  write  and  cast 
accounts,  and  it  is  also  a  crime  for  any  man  to  be  found  teaching  him. 
"But  there  is  a  better  day  coming,  and  will  soon  be  here  ;  only  we 
will  have  to  pass  through  a  time  of  the  most  tremendous  affliction  be 
fore  the  better  times  arrive.  When,  by  the  predetermined  will  of  God, 
all  men  and  women  are  free  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  and  from 
the  Lakes  to  the  Gulf,  then,  indeed,  shall  we  arise  and  shine  forth,  for 
our  light  will  be  come,  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  will  be  risen  upon  us. 
Then  shall  new  schools  and  .colleges  be  established  all  over  the  land, 
into  which  our  sons  and  daughters  will  crowd,  and  they  will  also  go  to 
those  which  have  been  long  established.  Then  shall  our  professional 
men  and  women  go  forth  in  their  thousands  and  ten  thousands,  and 
spread  to  lands  and  islands  beyond  the  seas.  Then  shall  our  senators 
and  representatives  enter  the  halls  of  Congress  at  Washington,  and 
every  state  legislature.  Our  surgeons  and  physicians  shall  then  ride 
forth  precisely  the  same  as  their  white  brothers  duly  armed  with  the 
very  same  diplomas,  authorizing  them  to  heal  the  sick,  and  alleviate 
the  ailments  of  those  that  are  afflicted,  instead  of  wearing  their  lives 
away  in  the  cane  brakes,  the  cotton  fields  and  the  rice  swamp  of  the 
South  as  slaves.  They  may  labor  all  over  the  far-extended  lands  as 
freemen  toiling  for  themselves  and  their  families  at  useful  trades,  and 
laying  up  money  against  a  rainy  day.  Then  shall  children  go  forth  in 
their  hundreds  and  thousands  to  be  trained  like  others  for  the  duties  of 
life,  and  to  become  the  ornaments  of  society.  Then  shall  our  afflicted 
sons  and  daughters  sit  no  longer  in  the  galleries  of  the  churches  of  the 
land  as  so  many  "goods  and  chattels"  thrust  away  up  into  the  corner, 
but  walk  forth  in  freedom  to  the  house  of  the  Lord  on  the  Sabbath 
day — go  forth  in  their  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  to  our  most 
Holy  Communion  in  all  that  liberty  of  soul  and  body  wherein  the 
Lord  has  made  us  all  free.  The  time  would  fail  for  me  to  tell,  and  for 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  49 

you  to  listen  to  all  the  good  things  that  will  come  with  freedom,  after 
every  man,  woman  and  child,  now  in  slavery,  are  at  liberty." 

When  Mrs.  Sutherland  had  done  speaking  as  above,  she  resumed 
her  seat  amidst  a  scene  of  great  enthusiasm.  Indeed  the  whole  audi 
ence  was  worked  up  to  a  pitch  of  great  excitement.  The  glee  club 
now  advanced  to  the  front,  and  gave  us  one  of  their  best  songs,  which 
was  most  heartily  enjoyed  by  every  person  present. 

The  reverend  chairman  now  rose  to  his  feet,  and  thus  addressed 
the  immense  assembly : 

"Ladies  and  Gentlemen : — Just  think  upon  the  glorious  speech  to* 
which  we  have  listened,  and  the  unanswerable  arguments  of  the  beau 
tiful  and  accomplished  speaker!  There  are  wonderful  changes  in> 
store  for  this  nation,  and  the  end  is  not  yet.  I  will  now  call  upon  Mrs, 
Thomas  Lincoln,  of  Kentucky,  to  address  the  house.  Ladies  and  gen 
tlemen,  Mrs.  Lincoln." 

Although  this  was  my  first  appearance  in  public,  and  though  that 
mighty  audience  looked  formidable  enough  to  scare  an  African  lion 
or  royal  Indian  tiger,  still  my  own  mind  was  firmly  made  up  to  brook 
no  failure,  and  I  proceeded  to  speak  as  follows : 

"My  good  Christian  friends  of  the  North:  I  bless  and  magnify 
the  Lord  this  famous  night,  not  only  because  I  am  permitted  to  address 
you,  but  because  I  am  even  free.  It  is  very  true  that  in  yonder  great 
slave  land  my  lines  fell  to  me  in  pleasant  places ;  but  after  all,  though  I 
figured  as  'The  Flower-Girl  of  Riverside  Hall/  I  was  no  more  in  the 
eyes  of  the  'peculiar  institution,'  ridiculously  so*  called,  than  a  pampered 
and  favored  greyhound  with  a  gold  chain  around  his  neck!  (Loud 
laughter.)  That  golden  chain  marked  me  for  a  slave,  although  it  was  my 
privilege,  upon  grand  occasions,  to  become  an  ornament  to  grace  my 
owner's  triumph  among  his  visitors,  just  like  any  other  fragile  vase  set 
upon  a  mantelpiece.  (More  laughter).  Upon  those  grand  occasions 
our  masters  used  to  bring  out  the  finest  wines,  richest  fruits  and  rarest 
delicacies  of  the  whole  earth.  The  land  and  the  sea  were  ransacked  to 
find  dainties  for  the  glorious  lords  and  ladies  of  the  South,  to  set  be 
fore  their  guests  far  more  than  the  lords  and  dukes  and  barons  of  Eu 
rope  and  Asia  ever  even  attempted  to  display.  At  our  grand  banquets 
it  was  my  duty  to  pour  out  the  wine,  and  assist  in  a  general  way  in  the 
dining-room,  as  the  necessity  of  the  moment  might  require.  Then 


50  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

nature  has  endowed  me  with  a  voice  for  music,  and  as  1  am  fond  of 
singing,  I  had  to  obey,  whenever  I  was  bid,  by  giving  them  some  of 
our  Southern  songs  to  the  accompaniment  of  the  grand  piano,  and 
even  play  for  the  company  whenever  they  wanted  to  dance.  (Loud  ap 
plause  from  the  young  people).  But  I  am  bound  to  confess  that  often 
^'n  the  midst  of  these  grand  pastimes,  when  I  deemed  it  prudent  to  look 
pleasant,  and  even  to  smile  sweetly  for  the  purpose  of  concealing  my 
real  thought,  I  was  longing  and  praying  for  freedom,  and  regarded 
myself  as  no  more  than  that  aforementioned  chained  greyhound  among 
other  greyhounds  that  were  free.  (Cheers  from  the  audience).  I  could 
not  forget  that  at  that  very  hour  there  were  good  men  and  women  ot 
color,  down  in  the  slave  quarter,  dressed  in  little  more  than  sackcloth, 
stretching  their  weary  limbs  for  the  night  upon  their  miserable  beds, 
after  a  miserable  meal  of  coarse  cornbread,  and  a  swallow  of  tea  or  cof 
fee,  perfect  dish  water,  besides  other  stuff  not  fit  for  a  horse  or  a  dog 
to  feed  on !  In  the  slave  quarter  there  lay  the  best  of  men  and  women, 
of  whom  this  world  is  not  worthy,  and  here  we  were  in  the  ball-room, 
abandoned  to  the  dance  as  if  there  were  no  suffering  in  the  world,  much 
less  not  many  yards  away  from  the  place  where  all  our  revelry  was 
going  on.  Was  it  wonder,  then,  as  my  fingers  flew  over  the  piano, 
that  I  internally  prayed,  'O  my  Good  Lord,  set  me  free !  Set  me  free ! 
and  take  me  away  from  all  this  shallow  and  hollow  mockery !'  I  had 
a  tremendous  presentiment,  which  I  could  not  keep  down,  that  the 
Lord  God  Almighty  would  yet  visit  the  South  for  all  this,  and  give  our 
great  lords  and  masters,  on  some  near  future  day,  the  field  of  battle 
whereon  they  could  show  off  their  talents,  instead  of  robbing  and  mur 
dering  the  oppressed  African,  and  thus  living  at  his  expense.  O  my 
God,  it  was  too  much !  (Great  cheering). 

I  was  still  very  young.  It  was  only  spring  when  I  was  seventeen, 
when  the  Bishop  and  his  wife  were  invited  to  our  house.  They  were 
to  be  our  guests  during  a  great  religious  gathering  at  Louisville.  I 
felt  a  sudden  inspiration  to  make  a  rush  for  liberty,  now  or  perhaps 
never.  Besides,  slavery  is  so  uncertain,  and  as  it  is  usually  the  unex 
pected  thing  that  happens  on  their  estates  and  plantations,  if  you  don't 
take  time  by  the  forelock  when  you  can,  you  may  never  have  so  good 
a  chance  again.  I  will  leave  it  to  my  kind  and  gallant  Tom  to  tell  you 
how  we  got  away;  because  I  think  that  was  the  luckiest  day  in  my 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  51 

whole  life — unless,  indeed,  I  consider  also  the  day  that  my  own  dear 
mother  and  I  sailed  from  New  Orleans  on  the  Columbia.  There  are 
great  days  in  the  lives  of  individuals  as  well  as  in  the  lives  of  nations, 
and  I  feel  a  heavenly  presentiment  in  my  own  heart  and  soul  that  a 
great  war  is  impending  upon  this  nation,  and  that  Almighty  God  will 
send  it  to  set  His  people  free.  We  are  the  Lord's  own  people,  and  we 
pray  to  Him  every  day.  He  has  promised,  many  a  time,  in  His  holy 
word,  to  hear  our  prayers,  and  He  does  hear  our  prayers,  and  there  are 
thousands  and  millions  of  prayers  sent  up  to  heaven  every  day  to  the 
throne  of  mercy  that  God  would  set  the  captives  free.  The  North 
and  South  between  them,  may  pass  'Fugitive  Slave  Bills/  and  plan  and 
scheme  to  keep  the  curse  of  slavery  going  till  the  end  of  time,  if  they 
like ;  but  at  the  same  time  this  world  belongs  to  the  great  Lord  of 
heaven  and  earth,  and  He  will  hear  all  the  prayers  of  the  oppressed 
before  much  more  time  rolls  over  our  heads,  for  He  is  sure  to  set  our 
people  free. 

"I  have  been  studying  what  I  can  to  help  on  the  good  cause  of 
emancipation,  abolitionism,  or  by  whatsoever  name  you  may  call  it — 
I  mean  in  this  campaign  that  is  now  raging  and  at  fever  heat  all  along 
the  Northern  states,  and  from  ocean  to  ocean.  I  am  willing  to  do  all  I 
can  to  help  the  cause  of  the  oppressed  and  terribly  down-trodden  slave. 
I  am  willing  to  place  my  services  at  the  command  of  the  managing 
committee  in  these  parts,  and  to  speak,  to  play,  and  to  sing,  and  do  my 
best  in  every  way  for  the  good  cause.  (Loud  applause  all  over  the 
hall).  Fred.  Douglass,  and  William  Lloyd  Garrison,  and  Henry  Ward 
Beecher,  and  many  others  of  the  'big  guns'  will  be  coming  around ; 
and  perhaps  even  Mrs.  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe  herself.  I  think  she, 
at  least,  ought  to  pay  us  a  visit,  for  if  any  free  colored  person  in  the 
South  is  detected  with  her  'Uncle  Tom's  Cabin'  in  his  possession,  that 
person  may  be  sent  to  prison  for  twelve  months.  Now  I  myself  man 
aged  to  read  'Uncle  Tom,'  even  in  slavery.  So  did  my  honored  mother 
and  husband — all  here  present  before  you — and  Mr.  Jackson,  our 
owner,  could  have  been  fined  so  much  apiece  for  us  three,  had  the  State 
ot  Kentucky  been  made  aware  of  the  fact !  (Loud  ironical  cheers  and 
great  laughter  by  the  whole  house).  In  a  campaign  like  this,  we  must 
all  put  our  shoulders  to  the  wheel,  and  give  a  long  pull,  a  strong  pulL 
and  a  pull  all  together ;  and  each  and  every  one  of  us  must  do  all  we  can 


52  HISTORICAL  KO.MAXCK  OF  THE  AMERICAN    NKCIIO. 

to  bring  the  abominations  of  slavery  to  an  end.  There  is  a  divinity 
that  shapes  our  ends,  rough  hew  them  as  we  will.'  Such  are  the  words 
of  Shakespeare.  We  also  are  rough-hewing  the  cause  of  freedom  for 
the  slave.  The  divinity  of  heaven  will  give  the  proper  shape  and  finish 
to  these  ends  of  ours. 

"As  I  have  myself  already  drunk  so  deeply  of  the  fountain  of 
liberty,  I  think  it  is  my  bounden  duty  to  do  all  I  can  to  help  on  that 
good  cause  that  lies  so  near  all  our  hearts.  And  yet  I  do  not  see  that 
I  can  do  much  more,  when  1  have  done  my  best,  than  to  aid  in  heap 
ing  more  fuel  upon  the  top  of  the  fire  now  raging,  and  thus  assist  in 
firing  the  Northern  heart.  Other  weak  women,  besides  me.  have 
worked  wonders  in  forwarding  the  cause  of  freedom  and  of  God.  Sev 
eral  of  the  greatest  heroines  of  history  are  mentioned  in  both  the  Old 
*and  New  Testament.  One  of  the  very  first  who  was  mentioned  is 
Miriam,  who  led  forth  the  women  with  timbrels  and  with  dances  at 
the  Red  Sea,  for  she  commanded  the  people  'to  praise  the  Lord,  be 
cause  He  had  done  gloriously ;  the  horse  and  the  rider  He  had  cast 
into  the  sea.'  Then  we  come  to  the  case  of  the  brave  and  valiant  De 
borah,  the  most  conspicuous  of  all  the  heroines  of  the  Bible,  for  she 
led  the  Jewish  nation  to  the  war,  and  placed  herself  at  the  head  of  her 
volunteers  on  the  mountains  of  Israel.  So  long  as  freedom  and  liberty 
are  held  sacred  in  this  world,  so  long  shall  the  name  of  the  victorious 
and  intrepid  Deborah  be  ever  green.  (Lou^  applause).  Another  fam 
ous  heroine  of  history  was  Boadicea,  the  Queen  of  the  Britons,  who 
placed  herself  at  the  head  of  her  army  and  fought  with  the  Romans. 
Then  we  have  the  burning  and  shining  example  of  Joan  d'Arc,  who 
led  on  the  armies  of  France,  and  cleared  that  country  of  the  English 
invaders.  Nor  must  we  forget  the  intrepidity  and  courage  of  Her  Ma 
jesty  Elizabeth,  Queen  of  England,  who  placed  herself  at  the  head  of 
her  troops  when  her  native  isle  was  threatened  with  invasion  by  the 
Spanish  Armada.  Such  women  were — each  one  of  them — worth  a 
hundred  thousand  men,  not  so  much  for  what  they  could  do  in  them 
selves,  but  because  they  greatly  assisted  in  firing  the  national  heart, 
and  urging  on  the  hosts  of  men  to  war. 

"Now,  I  am  not  saying  that  I  myself  will  make  a  Deborah,  a  Joan 
of  Arc,  or  an  Elizabeth  ;  but  there  are  already  in  this  campaign  several 
heroic  American  women,  who  are  doing  yeoman  service  on  behalf  of 


HISTORICAL  KOMAXCE  OF  THP]  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  53 

the  down-trodden  and  oppressed  African,  and  if  they  can  do  something 
in  this  good  cause,  so  can  I.  (Loud  shouts  of  'Yes,  yes !  so  you  can ! 
Hurrah  for  Mrs.  Lincoln !')  I  am  at  least  willing  to  do  my  best  in 
talking,  in  singing  and  in  striking  the  dulcet  chords  of  music,  and 
wherein  I  may  happen  to  fall  short,  others  will  atone  for  my  deficien 
cies.  Let  the  work  go  on !  Let  us  lay  the  axe  to  the  roots  of  this 
deadly  and  devilish  upas  tree !  Let  slavery  be  shaken  to  its  lowest 
foundations,  and  be  driven  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico !  Forward,  ye 
brave !  And  even  if  war  itself  must  come,  let  it  come,  and  even  we 
women  will  go  to  the  field !" 

With  the  last  exhortation,  I  resumed  my  seat,  when  the  audience 
rose  to  their  feet  and  cheered,  and  almost  made  me  blush  at  the  results 
of  my  own  small  efforts.  When  the  excitement  had  abated,  and  the 
audience  was  in  readiness  to  hear  the  next  speaker,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Hen 
derson  arose  once  more  and  said : 

"Ladies  and  gentlemen: — After  the  eloquent  and  stirring  address 
Ave  have  heard  from  the  wife,  we  shall  now  look  forward  with  much 
pleasure  to  an  address  from  that  noble  and  gallant  husband  who  safely 
piloted  both  himself  and  her  out  of  slavery,  as  we  plainly  see  here  be 
fore  us  to-night.  I  beg  to  introduce  to  you  Mr.  Thomas  Lincoln!" 

Tom  arose  at  once,  and  as  he  advanced  towards  the  footlights,  he 
pulled  down  his  vest  and  cleared  his  throat  in  the  masculine  fashion, 
the  audience  in  the  meanwhile  cheering  loudly,  after  which  he  pro 
ceeded  to  speak  as  follows : 

"My  right  good  Christian  friends: — It  is  with  no  small  pleasure 
that  I  appear  before  you  to-night  to  give  you  some  of  my  sentiments, 
veins  and  opinions  on  the  coming  war  in  this  country.  (Sensation). 
I  firmly  believe  that  a  war  is  impending  over  us,  as  I  believe  that  there 
is  a  God  of  vengeance  and  of  justice.  Look  at  the  millions  and  bil 
lions  of  money  that  the  Southern  chivalry  have  piled  up,  and  they  are 
piling  it  up  still,  at  the  expense  of  the  poor,  oppressed  and  enslaved 
African !  And  shall  a  sinful  nation  indeed  escape  from  blood-red 
crimes  like  these?  I  am  neither  a  prophet  by  profession,  nor  the  son 
of  a  prophet,  but  even  a  child  can  understand  that  the  funeral  bell  of 
slavery  will  be  tolled  before  long,  and  depend  upon  it,  ye  young  men ! 
both  vou  and  I  will  be  called  into  the  field,  and  we  will  all  be  needed  to 


54  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

pull  down  that  most  abominable  and  'peculiar  institution !'  (Loud  ap 
plause).  , 

"Though  neither  a  prophet,  nor  the  son  of  a  prophet,  I  affirm  that 
a  day  is  coming,  and  is  now  on  the  home  stretch,  indeed,  when  you 
young  men  and  I  will  not  be  permitted  to  stay  at  home  and  dally  with 
the  apron  strings  of  our  mothers  and  sweethearts,  but  we  will  have  to 
march  to  the  field.  We  will  then  make  it  manifest  what  we  men  of 
Africa  can  dare  and  can  do.  I  shall  be  quite  willing  to  go  for  one, 
when  the  South,  in  her  frantic  anger,  will  secede ;  I  am  willing  to  do- 
all  I  can  for  my  own  country,  and  if  those  who  are  soldiers  themselves 
never  come  home,  we,  at  least,  will  clear  the  great  national  gangway 
for  coming  generations,  and  the  glories  that  are  to  follow!  (Loud 
cheers). 

"I  suppose  that  some  of  our  friends  on  the  other  side  of  the  fence 
will  begin  to  tell  us  here  that  the  colored  man  will  not  fight,  and  that 
there  is  neither  pluck  nor  courage  in  him.  We  shall  certainly  be  told 
a  hundred  thousand  times  that  there  is  no  fighting  in  him,  and  that  he 
was  never  intended  for  anything  but  a  docile  slave!  Such  persons 
who  say  so  have  never  read  even  the  A  B  C  of  history ;  for  colored  men 
fought  quite  as  well  as  white  men  on  many  a  hard-fought  field,  both 
in  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  and  in  the  War  of  1812;  and  what  we 
did  once,  and  did  well,  we  can  do  again,  and  do  better,  and  with  a 
better  motive,  too,  because  we  will  be  fighting  for  our  own  complete 
emancipation,  and  to  put  an  end,  once  for  all,  to  slavery  in  the  LTnited 
Srates,  and  purge  the  nation  of  a  great  crime.  (Loud  applause  through 
out  the  hall). 

"I  need  not  go  back  in  history  to  prove  the  bravery  of  the  African 
race,  for  thic  is  a  well-known  fact,  and  the  very  school-books  are  full 
of  it.  The  bravery  of  the  slave  is  one  of  the  main  reasons  why  the 
slave-holders  make  such  stringent  laws  in  attempting  to  perpetuate 
their  iniquitous  system.  They  know  our  prowess,  and  the  risks  they 
would  run  in  the  case  of  a  general  rising,  and  therefore  they  exercise 
double  caution  in  order  to  keep  down  even  the  slightest  attempts  at 
insurrection.  But  for  all  that,  there  is  not  the  slightest  doubt  in  my 
own  mind  that  they  will  go  out  of  the  Union,  as  they  have  been  prom 
ising  us  to  do  for  the  last  fifty  years,  if  they  cannot  get  their  own  way  f 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  55 

In  all  their  plans,  schemes  and  calculations,  this  slave-holding  oligarchy 
have  thrown  the  Almighty  overboard,  and  every  sacred  right  of  the 
human  race.  They  have  treated  the  wronged  and  oppressed  African  as 
if  he  had  neither  rights  nor  feelings,  and,  indeed,  as  if  he  were  not  a 
human  being  at  all.  But  there  is  a  day  coming,  and  it  will  soon  be 
here,  when  the  Great  Creator  of  the  entire  human  race  will  call  an  im 
perative  halt  to  all  this,  and  go  into  this  war  as  we  may,  we  will  come 
out  with  four  millions  of  people  who  will  be  redeemed  from  the  yoke 
and  curse  of  Southern  bondage.  (Loud  cheers). 

"I  did  not  intend  to  make  a  lengthy  address.  I  only  wished  to 
point  out  that  we  are  drifting  into  war,  and  my  own  willingness  to  lend 
a  hand  to  liberate  the  oppressed  slave." 

Tom  now  resumed  his  seat  amidst  great  applause.  The  audience, 
though  taken  by  surprise  by  his  speech,  were  greatly  delighted,  be 
cause  of  his  willingness  to  go  to  the  field. 

The  reverend  chairman  now  called  on  the  glee  club  to  give  us 
some  more  of  their  musical  compositions  and  campaign  songs.  These 
were  given  with  a  hearty  good  will,  so  that  the  enthusiasm  of  the  au 
dience  rose  higher  and  higher.  The  newspaper  reporters  were  also 
kept  busy,  and  a  good  account  of  the  proceedings  of  this  very  success 
ful  abolition  meeting  was  foundvin  several  of  the  papers  next  morning, 
and  very  extensively  read.  Before  we  scattered  for  the  night,  the  Rev. 
Doctor  Henderson  arose,  and  made  the  following  closing  remarks  to 
the  audience : 

"Ladies  and  gentlemen :  We  have  all  listened  to  a  rare  treat  this 
night.  Just  think  of  it!  The  South  calls  these  two  ladies  and  this 
gentleman  their  'goods  and  chattels,'  and  for  the  very  life  of  me  I  do 
not  see  how  a  war  can  be  avoided,  and  then  we  shall  know  what  their 
so-called  goods  and  chattels  will  do  when  the  storm  shall  burst  upon  us 
in  all  its  fury.  No,  no !  I  do  not  see  how  a  war  is  to  be  avoided,  for 
the  passions  of  both  the  North  and  the  South  are  being  worked  up  in 
precisely  the  same  way  as  is  usual  in  quarrels  between  individuals,  and 
no  doubt  but  it  will  all  end  by  coming  to  blows  in  a  terrible  conflict. 

"In  the  meantime  it  is  our  duty  to  keep  agitating  as  never  before. 
It  is  a  perfect  outrage  on  humanity  to  hold  in  bondage  such  refined 
persons  as  these  three  here  present  to-night.  We  must  agitate  this 
great  question,  night  and  day,  till  the  sun  of  righteousness  shall  arise 


56  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

with  healing  in  his  wings.  I  now  call  for  a  vote  of  thanks  to  Mrs. 
John  B.  Sutherland,  and  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  Lincoln.  Let  three 
rousing  cheers  be  given  for  them !" 

The  audience  rose  to  their  feet,  gave  three  cheers  and  a  tiger,  and 
the  great  demonstration  came  to  an  end. 


, 

CfllfcJ 


CHAPTER  V. 

The  Negro's  Complaint — John  Brown's  Raid — The  Secession  of  the 
Southern  States — Battle  of  Milliken's  Bend — Battle  at  Fort  Hud 
son — The  Effect  of  the  Emancipation  Proclamation  on  this  Na 
tion  and  the  Entire  Christian  World. 

As  my  indulgent  readers  would  perhaps  like  to  know  the  lines  of 
"The  Negro's  Complaint,"  which  were  sung  so  beautifully  by  the 
campaign  glee  club  that  night  at  the  great  meeting  at  Buffalo,  I  will 
here  insert  them.  They  were  written  by  the  Honorable  William  Cow- 
per,  of  England,  and  directed  against  British  slavery  in  the  West  In 
dies,  and  the  slave  trade  generally.  They  apply  with  such  force  and 
truth  to  that  self-same  blood-red  crime  as  carried  on  by  the  United 
States  that  they  are  worthy  of  being  committed  to  memory  by  every 
true  lover  of  poetry  in  the  English  language  throughout  the  world. 


THE  NEGRO'S  COMPLAINT. 

Forced  from  home  and  all  its  pleasures, 

Africa's  coast  I  left  forlorn, 
To  increase  a  stranger's  treasures 

O'er  the  rag-ing-  billows  borne. 
Men   from   Eng-land   bought   and   sold   me, 

Paid  my  price  in  paltry  gold; 
But,   thoug-h   theirs  they  have   enrolled   me, 

Minds  are  never  to  be  sold. 

Still  in  thoug-ht  as  free  as  ever, 

What  are  England's  rig-hts?  I  ask; 
Me  from  delight  sr  to  sever, 

Me  to  torture,  me  to  task? 
Fleecy  locks  and  dark  complexion 

Cannot  forfeit  nature's  claim; 
Skins  may  differ,  but  affection 

Dwells  in  white  and  black  the  same. 


58  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

Why  did  all-creating  nature 

Make  the  plant  for  which  we   toil? 
Sighs  must  fan  it — tears  must  water, 

Sweat  of  ours  must  dress  the  soil. 
Hark!    Ye  masters,   iron-hearted, 

Lolling  at  your  jovial  boards — 
Think  how  many  backs  have  smarted 

For  the   sweets   your   cane   affords! 

Hark!     He  answers.     Wild  tornadoes 

Strewing  yonder  seas  with  wrecks, 
Wasting  towns,  plantations,  meadows, 

Are  the  voice  with  which  he  speaks; 
He,  foreseeing  what  vexations 

Afric's  sons  should  undergo, 
Fixed  their  tyrant's  habitations 

Where  his  whirlwinds  answer — No! 

By  our  blood  in  Afric  wasted, 

Ere  our  necks  received  the  chain, 

By  the  miseries  w^e  have  tasted 

Crossing  in  your  barks  the  main; 

By  our  sufferings  since  ye  brought  us 
To  the  man-degrading  mart — 

All,  sustained  by  patience,  taught  us, 

Only  by  a  broken  heart. 

Count  our  nation  brutes  no  longer, 

Till   some   reason  ye  shall  find 
Worthier  of  regard,  and  stronger 

Than  the  color  of  the  kind; 
Slaves  of  gold,  whose  sordid  dealings 

Tarnish  all  your  boasted  powers, 
Prove  that   ye  have  human  feelings 

Ere  ye  proudly  question  ours! 


Time  passed  on,  and  Tom  and  I,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sutherland, 
still  continued  to  occupy  the  same  house.  The  Lord  blessed  the  en 
tire  household,  and  none  of  us  had  ever  cause  to  regret  the  steps  we 
had  taken  and  carried  out  with  such  speed.  We  enlisted  heart  and  sou! 
in  the  grand  anti-slavery  movement,  and  blew  the  bellows  with  all  our 
might  to  help  on  the  good  cause  of  liberty  and  perfect  freedom.  The 


mus  -          "  gr^a»™®  8017?" 

BATTLE  OF  MILLIKEN'S  BEND. 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  59 

border  ruffians  in  Kansas  had  been  beaten  back  into  the  South,  which 
was  the  first  open  fight  between  the  two  high  contending  parties.  That 
put  the  angry  South  in  no  good  humor.  Like  an  ungovernable,  high- 
strung  virago,  her  temper  was  up,  and  she  threatened  secession,  and 
dreamed  of  extending  a  new  slave  empire  around  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 
The  abolitionists  of  the  North  were  unyielding,  and  the  two  sections 
were  drifting  into  war. 

In  the  midst  of  so  much  combustion  and  heated  temper,  it  would 
have  been  remarkable,  indeed,  if  there  had  been  no  "flame"  that  burst 
out  here  or  there.  In  all  impending  struggles  and  revolutions  there 
is  always  someone  who  voices  the  pent-up  feelings  of  one  party  or  the 
other,  and  sometimes  of  both.  On  the  impulse  of  the  moment,  as  it 
were  by  an  act  of  inspiration,  somebody  steps  out  of  the  ranks,  and 
becomes  the  leader  on  his  side.  The  man  who  led  the  way  on  the  part 
of  the  anti-slavery  party,  was  the  famous  John  Brown,  who  figured 
so  largely  in  Kansas,  and  in  1859  seized  upon  the  United  States  Ar 
senal  at  Harper's  Ferry,  in  Virginia,  while  he  was  leading  on  a  handful 
of  white  and  colored  men  for  the  purpose  of  effecting  a  general  rising 
of  the.  slaves  throughout  the  South.  But  the  Virginians  came  pouring 
down  upon  him  and  his  little  band.  Some  were  killed  and  wounded; 
others  were  missing,  and  John  Brown  himself  and  a  few  of  his  followers 
were  hung.  Still,  John  Brown  was  in  the  right.  He  was  simply  an 
outgrowth  of  the  times.  He  regarded  the  slaves  as  prisoners,  whom 
it  was  the  duty  of  any  man  to  set  at  liberty.  They  or  their  forefathers, 
at  least,  had  been  taken  captive  in  Africa,  and  it — that  is,  American 
slavery — was  the  crying  scandal  of  the  entire  Christian  world.  John 
Brown  was  one  of  the  abolitionists  of  the  North,  and  they  were  re 
sponsible  for  his  actions.  But  the  South  was  alarmed  all  over  its 
dark  domain.  From  Mason  and  Dixon's  Line  to  the  Rio  Grande 
the  news  of  John  Brown's  raid  flew  like  wildfire,  and  the  violent  temper 
of  the  South  grew  to  a  white  heat.  And  all  the  world — both  at  home 
and  abroad — remarked, 

"If  one  single  spark  like  this  can  raise  such  a  conflagration,  what 
shall  we  have  when  the  anti-slavery  party  shall  set  their  foot  into  the 
whole  'business'  on  a  grand  scale  ?  If  one  man  at  Harper's  Ferry  can 
effect  such  a  disturbance,  what  will  ensue  when  the  great  overshadow- 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN   XKGRO. 

regularly  at  school.     My  best  love  to  the  church  in  a  body.     Tell  them  to 
pray  for  us. 

I  have  great  pleasure  in  informing  you  that  we  have  here  completely 
settled  the  question  whether  colored  men  will  not  fight  in  America  as  well 
as  their  ancestors  did  in  Africa.  On  the  night  of  the  6th  of  June,  about 
three  thousand  Texans  came  to  our  fortifications,  and  lay  around  our  five 
hundred  colored  soldiers,  besides  a  hundred  white  ones.  Those  three 
thousand  rebels  lay  prowling  around  our  men  like  so  many  cats,  only  wait 
ing  for  the  dawn  of  the  7th  of  June  to  gobble  us  up  like  so  many  poor, 
helpless  mice.  About  three  o'clock  they  came  on  with  an  awful  rush. 
shouting,  "No  quarter  for  niggers  and  their  officers!"  They  got  into  our 
works,  and  the  way  that  men  fell  on  both  sides  was  dreadful.  It  was 
really  awful  the  way  my  poor  comrades  were  shot  down,  or  killed  with 
the  bayonet,  though  at  the  same  time  we  mowed  them  down  like  grass 
before  the  scythe.  Those  strong  arms  of  ours  that  had  made  the  South 
the  rich  land  that  it  lately  was,  now  laid  its  defenders  even  with  the  ground. 
There  was  hardly  a  single  officer,  either  black  or  white,  among  us  who  was 
not  either  killed  or  wounded.  How  I  escaped  myself  without  a  scratch  is 
more  than  I  can  tell,  where  there  were  so  very  few  who  came  out  of  the 
battle  as  they  went  in.  To  God  be  all  the  praise! 

The  gunboats  Choctow  and  Lexington  assisted  us  very  much,  for  they 
kept  throwing  shells  into  the  enemy,  and  made  them  fly  in  all  directions. 
and  even  up  into  the  air!  The  white  men  on  our  side — one  hundred  of 
them — also  fought  like  lions.  One  division  of  the  rebels  hesitated  about 
coming  out  of  a  redoubt  they  had  got  into  their  possession.  They  were 
not  willing.  But  our  brave  black  soldiers  went  in  with  a  rush,  and  as 
sisted  them  in  making  up  their  minds  by  taking  the  bayonet  to  them,  and 
thrashing  them  with  the  butt  ends  of  their  guns,  precisely  like  thrashing- 
wheat!  They  reminded  me  of  a  lot  of  guilty  cats  when  the  dogs  are  on 
them.  Having  suffered  the  loss  of  hundreds  of  men,  and  been  completely 
vanquished  in  the  bargain,  the  rebels  were  forced  to  retreat,  and  this  they 
did  with  as  good  a  grace  as  they  were  able. 

Xo  doubt  but  the  telegraph  has  already  carried  the  news  all  over  the 
Union  how  our  six  hundred  intrepid  soldiers  beat  three  thousand  rebels. 
This  will  settle,  once  for  all,  the  insulting  question,  "Will  the  black  man 
fight?"  It  will  also  secure  for  us  more  civil  treatment  from  white  sol 
diers,  both  North  and  South,  and  remind  them  that  the  Great  Creator  him 
self,  and  all  foreign  nations,  make  no  difference  whatsoever  on  account  of 
the  color  of  the  skin.  I  would  like  to  know  what  "Old  Massa"  thinks  of 
things  now. 

I  send  my  best  love  to  all  those  who  may  enquire  for  me,  and  please 
write  soon  to  your  most  affectionate  husband, 

Tuesday  night,  9  o'clock.  THOMAS  LINCOLN. 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  63 

War  surely  is  a  terrible  thing  at  its  best  estate.  Nations  have  of 
ten  waged  war  for  mere  conquest  and  ambition,  which  was  the  great 
est  crime  that  ever  could  have  been  committed.  But  here  was  a  war 
for  freedom — the  freedom  of  millions  of  slaves.  It  was  for  this  free 
dom  that  we  had  prayed  for  the  assistance  of  the  Most  High  God,  and 
troubled  the  country,  labored  and  toiled  in  all  possible  ways.  It  was 
for  this  freedom  that  all  the  chivalrous  Christianity  of  the  nation  had 
put  forth  all  its  efforts ;  and  now  at  times,  many  people  began  to 
doubt  whether  all  these  efforts  had  not  been  put  forth  in  vain,  because 
for  the  first  two  years  of  the  war,  our  arms  really  made  such  small 
progress  compared  with  what  we  had  expected.  And  yet,  for  the  very 
life  of  me,  I  am  to  this  very  day  unable  to  see  how  we  could  have  done 
much  more  than  we  did ;  for  though  the  Northern  troops  were  as  brave 
as  men  could  be,  we  had  a  foe  to  contend  with  who  was  quite  as  brave 
as  ourselves — a  foe  manned  by  officers  as  good  as  our  own,  and  fight 
ing  upon  their  own  soil,  where  they  knew  every  foot  of  the  ground. 
Thus  the  war  dragged  slowly  along,  and  the  close  of  the  second  year 
fecund  us  with  very  little  progress  made. 

We  were  not  in  despair,  but  the  South  yet  retained  all  her  strength, 
and  was  proud  and  defiant.  They  were  also  determined  to  fight  on, 
and  did  fight  on  with  a  valor  worthy  of  a  better  cause.  But  how  could 
we  expect  more  success  than  we  had  under  the  circumstances?  So 
great  was  the  prejudice  against  color  that  white  men  were  even  un 
willing  to  fight  side  by  side  with  our  own  people ;  and  then  Lincoln 
and  his  cabinet  were  all  afraid  of  affronting  the  tender  and  delicate 
susceptibilities  of  the  South  by  putting  even  their  little  finger  on  the 
heinous  institution  called  "Domestic  slavery."  Verily,  they  were  carry 
ing  their  squeamishness  to  a  most  tremendous  length  when  lives  had 
to  be  wasted  in  thousands,  because  white  men  were  too  proud  even  to 
fight  side  by  side  with  colored  men,  and  because  we  were  so  very 
timid  about  offending  our  "separate  brethren,"  that  the  Northern  offi 
cers  even  sent  back  the  refugees  from  our  armies — sent  them  back 
into  slavery !  And  they  even  allowed  their  life-long  oppressors  to  come 
into  the  camps,  look  around  for  their  slaves,  identify  and  claim  their 
property,  and  carry  them  home  again  before  our  very  eyes!  Was  it 
any  wonder,  then,  that  we  had  so  little  success  in  this  war  which  God 
himself  had  sent,  chiefly  that  the  slaves  should  be  freed? 


64  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

But  the  spectacle  of  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  of  men  being 
mowed  down  like  grass  before  the  Southern  scythes  gradually  changed 
all  that.  The  South,  indeed,  had  a  comfortable  time  of  it,  sending  all 
their  sons  to  the  war,  whilst  the  black  population  were  taking  care  of 
their  families,  working  their  fields,  and  even  throwing  up  intrench- 
ments,  and  making  themselves  useful  in  a  thousand  ways  by  command 
of  their  owners,  and  against  the  forces  of  the  North !  Not  that  the 
slaves  wished  to  work  in  these  ways  for  the  South,  but  because  our 
very  armies  were  helping  their  masters  to  keep  them  in  their  present 
position,  even  by  returning  them  to  bondage  whenever  they  tried  to 
gain  their  freedom.  The  Southern  lords  knew  all  about  our  "tender 
feelings"  for  their  own  "property" — falsely  so  called — and  they  took 
advantage  of  it. 

We  had  nobody  but  ourselves  to  blame  for  this  state  of  things. 
Our  men  were  mown  down  in  thousands  because  we  had  such  tender 
regard  for  the  feelings  of  the  rebels,  and  there  was  not  the  slightest 
sign  that  things  would  ever  get  any  better.  We  whipped  the  South 
to-day  and  they  whipped  us  to-morrow.  In  the  meantime  the  strong, 
able-bodied  African  tilled  the  fields  of  the  South,  when  he  might  have 
been  fighting  for  freedom  and  the  Union. 

But  to  return  to  the  year  1863.  Some  changes  had  been  made 
in  the  rapidly-shifting  scenes  of  the  war.  Tom  had  been  removed  from 
Milliken's  Bend,  and  gone  to  Port  Hudson,  where  a  most  terrible  as 
sault  had  been  made  on  the  rebel  defences  about  the  23rd  of  May. 
But  I  will  here  let  Tom  speak  for  himself,  because  he  wrote  to  me 
often,  and  my  greatest  pleasure  was  to  sit  down  and  send  him  all  our 
domestic  news. 

PORT  HUDSON,  on  the  Mississippi,  July.   1863. 

My  Dear  Beulah: — I  arrived  at  this  place  a  few  days  ago,  and  have  been 
out  to  see  signs  and  marks  of  the  recent  siege.  Everything  seems  to  inter 
est  me,  and  war  is  indeed  a  terrible  game.  I  have  heard  great  and  full  ac 
counts  of  the  awful  fighting  down  in  this  place,  much  of  which  I  must  re 
serve  for  your  patient  ears  when  I  come,  if  God  my  life  shall  spare. 

You  could  not  find  a  white  man  in  all  the  Mississippi  Valley  to-day  who 
will  tell  you  thait  colored  men  wont  fight.  I  don't  know  where  such  an 
idea  ever  arose,  because  it  was  the  strong  arm  and  perseverance  of  the 
slave  in  raising  crops  all  over  Dixie  that  created  most  of  the  wealth  we 
found  in  the  South,  and  I  look  upon  it  as  a  wilful  and  malicious  falsehood 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  65 

in  white  soldiers,  North  and  South  alike,  affirming  over  and  over  again 
that  colored  men  would  not  fight.  General  Grant  and  every  high  offi 
cer  in  the  Union  army  have  given  us  most  unstinted  praise,  and  have  af 
firmed  that  we  fight  nobly. 

The  accounts  of  the  terrible  fighting  done  here  almost  surpass  human 
belief.  About  the  23rd  of  May,  the  Northern  armies  invested  this  placen 
and  made  a  most  tremendous  effort  to  carry  it  by  storm.  The  rebels  had 
a  naturally  strong  position,  and  all  the  appliances  of  war  at  their  com 
mand.  They  had  batteries  and  masked  batteries,  mortars,  and,  in  short,- 
almost  everything  known  for  destruction  and  modern  warfare.  They  had. 
even  felled  trees  in  our  path,  and  their  very  cannon  balls  mowed  down 
trees  three  feet  thick.  The  noise  of  their  guns  made  more  din  and  uproar 
than  the  loudest  thunderstorm.  Against  those  brave  and  terrible  rebels 
white  soldiers  from  the  North  and  colored  soldiers  from  Louisiana  advanced 
again  and  again,  but  all  of  them  failed,  and  they  were  mown  down  like 
grass  before  the  scythe.  O  terrible,  sanguinary  war!  It  was  horrible! 
The  balls  and  other  missiles  flew  through  the  air  thicker  than  hailstones. 
Once  more  we  terribly  underrated  the  prowess  of  the  South.  All  of  us 
were  shipped  alike,  though  we  fought  like  gods!  Oh,  my  dear  Beulah! 
This  is  the  price  the  American  nation  is  now  paying  for  the  crime  of  slav 
ery!  The  South  carried  out  the  villainy,  and  the  North  winked  at  the  whole 
•devilish  business,  thus,  in  fact,  helping  the  rebels  to  keep  on  our  claims! 
Shall  a  guilty  nation  indeed  escape  for  deeds  like  these?  At  all  events,  we 
proved  one  thing  during  that  terrible  assault  in  May,  and  the  subsequent 
siege  of  Port  Hudson,  and  that  was  that  colored  men  are  as  much  men  as 
white  men,  red,  brown,  yellow  or  any  other  race  that  can  be  named.  These 
things  were  all  well  known  before  by  every  man,  woman  and  child,  but  then, 
"None  are  so  blind  as  those  who  don't  want  to  see."  The  cry  now  is,  "Yes, 
yes!  Colored  men  will  fight  well."  It  is  some  comfort  to  know  all  this, 
for  now  we  can  get  a  rest. 

I  send  a  deal  of  love  to  yourself,  the  children,  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sutherland, 
to  the  entire  church  on  Vine  street,  and  to  all  others.    I  get  all  your  letters. 
I  am,  my  dear  Beulah,  your  most  loving 

THOMAS  LINCOLN. 


From  the  accounts  contained  in  the  two  foregoing  letters  that  I 
received  from  my  dear  husband,  my  kind  readers  will  see  that  it  was  a 
public  revelation  made  to  the  whole  nation  that  the  colored  race  not 
only  made  first-rate  soldiers,  but  that  they  were  sorely  needed  by  Uncle 
Sam  in  the  day  of  his  distress.  Lincoln's  Proclamation  on  the  first  of 
January,  1863,  completely  broke  down  the  dam  from  one  end  of  the 
country  to  the  other  and  throughout  the  whole  land.  Now  the  patri- 


66  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AM  HIM  CAN  NEGRO. 

otic  governors  and  many  others  bestirred  themselves  in  raising  colored 
regiments,  getting  them  drilled,  and  pushed  to  the  front  with  rapidity, 
so  that  the  tide  of  war  everywhere  began  to  turn  in  favor  of  the  North 
ern  arms,  and  things  began  to  look  as  if  the  very  God  of  Liberty  Him 
self  was  smiling  upon  the  nation.  Up  to  the  end  of  1862  the  North 
had  been  fighting  for  nothing  more  than  the  restoration  of  the  Union, 
arid  surely  this  was  a  noble  thing  to  fight  for,  and  especially  for  the 
•possession  of  the  glorious  Mississippi,  flowing  all  the  way  from  its 
remotest  springs  at  its  farthest  away  branches  in  Montana,  some  4,400 
miles  from  the  ocean.  It  was  indeed  something  to  keep  the  great  river 
and  all  the  States  one  and  undivided.  But  what  about  slavery?  Was  it 
not,  if  possible,  a  ten  times  greater  sin  to  carry  on  slavery  than  for  the 
Southern  States  to  secede?  And  yet  there  were  thousands  and  tens 
of  thousands  of  soldiers,  officers  and  citizeHS  all  over  the  land  who  made 
the  most  strenuous  objections  to  striking  one  blow  for  freedom — the 
very  cause  for  which  the  war  had  been  sent !  Who  need  wonder,  in 
deed,  that  our  arms  had  such  small  success  for  almost  two  years  after 
the  rebels  seceded?  The  only  thing  that  surprises  me  is  that  we  had  as 
-much  success  as  we  did,  but  we  were  taught  a  lesson,  and  we  learned 
at  well  at  last. 

It  was  not  long  before  the  fame  of  the  colored  soldiers  of  America 
was  wafted  over  the  whole  world,  and  was  everywhere  received  by  all 
lovers  of  freedom  with  most  hearty  applause.  All,  excepting  those  who 
believed  in  keeping  other  people  down,  heard  the  news  with  the 
greatest  of  pleasure.  Many  of  the  aristocrats  of  England,  France  and 
elsewhere,  who  had  made  investments  in  Confederate  bonds,  and  sym 
pathized  with  the  South  from  the  beginning,  had  no  joy  when  they 
learned  how  Uncle  Sam  had  turned  a  new  element  of  strength  into 
the  field ;  but  the  common  people  everywhere  all  the  world  over,  who 
had  read  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin"  in  all  the  principal  languages  of  the 
earth,  and  opposed  the  recognition  of  the  Southern  Confederacy  from 
the  first  on  account  of  slavery,  rejoiced  to  hear  that  the  Great  North 
had  at  last  turned  over  a  new  leaf,  and  brought  the  heroic  sons  of 
Africa  into  the  field.  It  was  a  military  necessity,  of  course  ;  the  na 
tion  was  forced  to  do  it ;  but  all  the  same  it  was  a  matter  of  justice,  and 
the  right  thing  to  do.  Now  the  entire  Christian  world  took  ten  times 
more  interest  in  the  war  than  before.  They  had  been  praying  and 


HISTORICAL    ROMA.XCl-:  OFTJ1K  AMERICAN    XKdRO.  67 

cften  working  in  the  interest  of  the  American  slave ;  and  now  they 
were  delighted  to  hear  of  the  self-same  slave  marching1  bravely  to  the 
field,  and  assisting  white  men  in  knocking  the  fetters  off  the  whole 
race.  Now,  indeed,  the  scales  began  to  turn  in  favor  of  the  North, 
along  the  whole  line.  Before  the  first*  of  January,  1863,  it  was  as  if 
there  were  eight  pounds  in  the  Northern  scale,  and  eight  pounds  in 
the  Southern  scale,  but  now  we  throw  in  200,000  colored  men  or 
more  into  the  Northern  scale,  when  the  Southern  end  of  the  beam 
flies  up  as  the  lighter  weight,  and  it  becomes  clear  to  the  obtusest 
mind  that  the  South  is  doomed,  and  domestic  slavery  with  it  also. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Great  Service  of  the  Colored  Race^ — Heroic  Colored  Women — Attack 
on  Fort  Wagner,  i8th  July,  1863 — The  ex-Slaves  go  to  School— 
The  Freedman's  Bureau — The  Jubilee  Minstrels — A  Long  Letter 
From  Mr.  Thomas  Lincoln,  Describing  His  Life  in  a  New  Or 
leans  Hospital — The  Mississippi  River,  and  the  Fight  at  Pleasant 
Grove  in  the  Red  River  Expedition. 

As  I  stated  in  the  last  chapter,  recruiting  went  merrily  on,  and 
colored  men  came  up  "to  the  help  of  the  Lord,  to  the  help  of  the  Lord 
against  the  mighty."  The  heavens  now  smiled  upon  the  Northern 
arms,  and  "the  sun  of  righteousness  arose  upon  them  with  healing  in 
his  wings."  It  is  glorious  to  think  how  willingly  our  people  threw  down 
the  shovel  and  the  hoe,  and  advanced  to  meet  the  Northern  troops 
as  they  came  within  easy  striking  distance.  Thousands  and  tens  of 
thousands  crossed  the  mountains,  threaded  the  mountain  passes,  kept 
on  their  way  day  and  night  up  the  rivers  and  down  the  rivers  till  they 
beheld  the  Union  armies  encamped  away  in  the  valleys,  and  a  few  more 
willing,  enthusiastic  bounds,  and  they  were  free!  It  was  most  re 
freshing  to  read  the  letters  from  the  white  soldiers  at  the  time,  com 
mending  these  colpred  men  in  every  possible  way.  They  took  a  perfect 
delight  in  relating  the  thousand  and  one  acts  of  kindness  and  sym 
pathy  that  colored  men  and  women  performed  towards  countless 
Union  men  in  times  of  distress,  disaster  and  danger ;  how  they  secreted 
them ;  how  they  fed  them,  gave  them  rest  and  shelter,  and  how  faith 
fully  and  skilfully  they  guided  the  armies  on  their  way,  and  even  pilot 
ed  the  Union  boats  in  safety  up  and  down  the  rivers  of  the  South. 
Never  were  fidelity  and  devotion  more  marked  since  the  world  began, 
and  it  was  downright  pleasant  to  read  the  letters  from  "the  seat  of 
war,"  and  see  how  these  good  deeds  of  the  African  were  appreciated 
by  the  Anglo-Saxons.  "Skins  may  differ,  but  affection  dwells  in  white 
and  black  the  same,"  and  although  "Old  Massa"  and  "Old  Missus" 
did  their  best  to  keep  Lincoln's  proclamation  from  the  knowledge  of 
the  slaves,  somehow  or  other  the  truth  became  known ;  in  fact,  it 


HISTORICAL   KOMANCK  OKT1IK  AMKU1CAN    NE(!K().  09 

seemed  to  be  carried  on  the  wings  of  the  wind,  and  now  all  prayed 
more  and  more  fervently  that  the  Lord  would  send  freedom. 

It  would  be  a  pleasure  for  me  to  relate  the  deeds  of  devotion  re 
corded  of  our  people  in  behalf  of  the  cause  of  God  and  liberty.  There 
are  two  acts,  those  of  heroic  women,  that  I  must  not  omit.  We  have 
all  heard  of  General  John  Morgan,  the  Kentucky  guerilla  chief,  who 
led  a  raid  into  Ohio,  and  worked  so  much  wanton  mischief  on  Union 
people  and  the  Union  in  the  Southern  cause.  We  caught  and  impris 
oned  him  in  Ohio,  but  he  escaped,  and  took  to  his  tricks  again,  and 
was  more  fleet,  and  harder  to  catch  than  a  long-legged  greyhound. 
At  last  he  was  located  one  night  in  a  far-away  town  or  village  of  the 
South,  and  the  nearest  Union  troops  lay  about  twenty  miles  away. 
This  devoted  colored  woman  lost  not  a  moment  of  time,  but  steered 
for  the  distant  camp,  gave  them  the  >most  particular  information,  so 
that  they  rose  at  once,  and  upon  arriving  at  John  Morgan's  rendezvous, 
they  woke  him  up,  and  once  for  all  put  an  end  to  his  dreadful  raidings 
on  the  Unionists. 

I  must  next  mention  the  case  of  a  colored  woman  in  Georgia, 
when  General  Sherman  came  riding  through  the  woods  on  his  famous 
march  from  Atlanta  to  the  Sea.  This  woman  was  a  regular  heroine — 
"a  mother  in  Israel" — and  one  who  would  have  made  a  second  Debor 
ah,  with  a  host  of  men,  women  and  children  at  her  back,  all  of  whom 
the  war  had  set  free.  This  woman  advanced  upon  the  path  of  the 
troops,  and  having  introduced  herself  to  General  Sherman  and  his 
men,  gave  glory  to  God  and  to  the  Union  armies,  whom  the  God  of 
Hosts  had  there  and  then  sent  forth.  Her  language  was  worthy  of  a 
Shakespeare.  On  that  day  when  Deborah,  and  Miriam,  and  Joan  of 
Arc,  and  all  the  other  heroines  of  history  shall  be  gathered  together 
in  the  Palace  of  God,  I  feel  certain  that  this  colored  Deborah,  this 
"'mother  in  Israel,"  will  be  among  them  when  the  Lord  of  Heaven  and 
Earth  makes  up  His  jewels. 

Where  all  did  so  well,  it  would  be  in  vain  to  single  out  any  one 
regiment  that  distinguished  itself  more  than  another.  At  the  same 
time,  there  were  certain  regiments  that  attracted  a  great  deal  of  atten 
tion  to  themselves  because  they  were  the  first  ones  to  break  the  spell 
as  to  whether  colored  men  would  fight  like  white  men,  and  thus  render 
effective  service  in  the  war.  And  such  men  were  the  colored  troops 


70  HISTORICAL  BOMANCK  OF  TIIK  AM  KIM  CAN   NhXlRO. 

that  had  been  well  drilled  and  sent  down  from  Massachusetts  to  South 
Carolina,  and  who  lent  a  hand  in  the  investment  of  Charleston.  It 
was  on  the  i8th  of  July,  1863,  when  a  general  bombardment  of  botb 
land  and  sea  forces  at  once  made  a  high-handed  attempt  to  carry  Fort 
Wagner — a  rebel  fort  which  lay  on  the  narrowest  part  of  a  mere  strip 
of  sandy  land  called  Morris  Island,  washed  by  the  ocean  on  one  side, 
and  approachable  by  low,  swampy  marshes  in  the  rear.  The  entire 
morning  and  middle  of  the  day  had  been  spent  in  bombarding  the 
place  till  at  last  the  extemporized  fort,  composed  of  timber,  and  stone » 
and  sand,  seemed  to  have  crumbled  away;  for,  as  the  day  wore  away, 
the  rebels  ceased  entirely  to  reply  to  the  land  and  sea  forces,  and  the 
Federal  troops  were  under  the  impression  that  the  place  was  abandon 
ed  altogether,  or  at  least  destroyed  past  all  hope  of  remedy  for  the 
present.  The  Union  forces  clamored  loudly  for  an  advance  upon  the 
fort,  and  to  occupy  the  place  once  for  all.  After  some  hesitation  the 
commanders  assented  to  their  wishes,  and  it  was  decided  to  advance 
just  as  the  darkness  of  the  night  was  setting  in  on  that  long  July  day. 
Alas,  alas !  It  was  a  fatal  resolution,  for  the  rebels  had  been  busy  all 
the  afternoon  and  early  night  making  swift  preparations  to  give  our 
men  a  terrible  reception.  By  the  time  that  darkness  had  fully  set  :n, 
Fort  Wagner  was  almost  as  good  as  ever,  although  it  had  such  a  ter 
rible  knocking  about  all  the  early  hours  of  the  day.  The  Southern 
engineers  were  so  clever,  and  tlieir  men  had  wrought  with  such  a  will, 
that  it  needed  the  bravest  of  the  brave  to  fight  with  them ;  but  as  far 
as  that  was  concerned  we  were  all  about  even-handed  when  we  had  a 
fair  field.  Four  thousand  men,  therefore,  advanced  along  the  sands  of 
Morris  Island  with  the  intention  of  investing  and  clearing  out  the  fort 
of  its  defenders,  if  there  were  any  of  them  there.  The  colored  Massachu 
setts  troops  led  tne  way,  and  so  they  all  advanced  along  the  sands — the 
white  sands  that  had  but  lately  been  washed  by  the  ocean.  Everything 
was  as  still  as  a  stone  till  they  came  to  a  ditch,  when  a  fearful  tempest 
of  shot  from  the  cannon  and  musket  assailed  them,  and  the  assailants 
were  mowed  down  like  grass  before  the  scythe.  Still  our  troops 
bravely  advanced  across  the  ditch,  climbed  up  the  bank,  and  pushed 
forward  right  into  the  fort,  slaughtering  the  gunners  and  clearing  a 
path  before  them.  But  all  this  time  our  brave  men  were  being  mowed 
down  in  rows.  Many  jumped  into  the  fort  and  had  to  surrender  there. 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  71 

because,  indeed,  they  could  neither  advance  nor  retreat,  being  caught 
ir  a  perfect  trap.  Thus  we  lost  about  half  our  men  in  killed,  wounded 
and  prisoners,  and  had  to  retreat  in  the  best  way  we  were  able.  It 
was  a  dreadful  defeat  that  the  Union  forces  sustained ;  but  the  colored 
troops  had  the  honor  of  leading  all  the  rest,  and  the  foolish  idea  that 
colored  men  would  not  fight  received  another  complete  quietus,  and 
their  bravery  was  published  in  all  the  papers  from  (one  end  of  the 
Union  to  the  other.* 

We  now  come  to  the  glorious  subject  of  education — that  which 
lifts  up  any  nation  from  the  bottom,  and  places  it  among  the  kings 
and  queens  of  the  world.  The  colored  men  and  women  of  the  South 
before  who  -could  read  and  write,  were  like  angel  visits — few  and  far 
between.  You  might  search  the  whole  day  long,  and  not  find  one  who 
could  sign  his  name.  But  the  government  records  show  that  in  the 
year  1870,  only  five  years  after  the  close  of  the  war,  taking  the  entire 
population  of  the  United  States  in  the  aggregate,  there  were  two- 
tenths,  which  is  twenty  per  cent.,  who  could  read  and  write.  Here, 
indeed,  was  one  of  the  signs  of  the  times  with  a  vengeance !  Surely  the 
colored  race  must  have  a  great  natural  thirst  for  knowledge.  In  the 
year  1880,  that  is,  fifteen  years  after  freedom  came,  three-tenths,  which 
is  thirty  per  cent,  of  the  whole  population,  could  read  and  write ;  and 
in  1800,  or  twenty-five  years  after  the  end  of  the  war,  forty-three  of 
every  hundred.  In  other  words,  forty-three  per  cent,  of  the  colored 
population  of  the  United  States  could  read  and  write — being  ten  years 
and  over  of  age.  At  that  time  that  I  am  writing  my  book,  that  isr 
the  year  of  grace,  1897,  inasmuch  as  the  increase  is  going  bravely  on 
from  day  to  day,  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  fifty  per  cent.,  that 
is,  one-half  of  the  entire  colored  population  of  the  United  States,  North 
and  South  included,  and — as  usual  in  such  government  statistics — ten 
years  of  age  and  over,  are  able  to  read  and  write  at  least,  and  there  are 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  them  who  can  do  a  hundred  times  more. 

Now,  since  Adam  and  Eve  walked  hand  in  hand  on  the  enchant 
ing  grounds  of  Paradise,  I  would  like  to  know  where  the  people  can 
be  found  who  ever  came  out  of  such  Cimmerian  darkness,  who  ever 
progressed  at  such  a  rate  as  this?  The  present  march  of  education 
among  the  colored  race  far  surpasses  the  march  of  the  whites  since 
freedom  came,  and  it  still  keeps  ahead  of  them  at  the  present  time  of 


72  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

writing.  Indeed,  in  some  parts  of  the  fair  and  Sunny  South,  we  are  in 
lead  our  white  brethren ;  and  it  is  quite  superfluous  for  me  to  say  that 
whoever  are  in  the  lead  in  education  are  the  more  intelligent  of  the 
two,  be  they  black  or  white. 

Behold  the  stupid-looking  and  ignorant  hordes  of  Italians,  Poles, 
Bohemians,  Chinese  and  others  who  are  dumped  down  in  shiploads 
upon  our  shores !  Even  at  home  in  their  own  lands  they  are  very  little 
more  than  dumb-driven  cattle !  How  much  more,  then,  must  their 
stupidity  appear  in  full  blaze  of  daylight  in  a  highly-intelligent  nation 
like  this !  It  is  like  comparing  the  feeble  light  of  midnight  under  the 
stars  alone  with  the  full  blaze  of  a  day  when  the  sun  is  shining  at 
twelve  at  noon.  Shall  we  of  the  colored  race,  who  may  now  safely 
count  on  fifty  per  cent,  of  the  entire  population  who  can  read  and 
write  compare  ourselves  with  the  immigrants  like  these,  or  even  with 
Spaniard  or  Portugese,  Turks  or  Greeks,  who  have  had  the  opportuni 
ties  of  acquiring  education  for  hundreds  of  years,  while  we,  who  were 
set  free  only  thirty-two  years  ago,  have  produced  men  and  women  who 
have  stood  in  honor  before  presidents  and  kings,  and  proved  that  we 
are  able  to  climb  to  the  topmost  rounds  of  the  ladder  that  Almighty 
God  Himself  has  set  up  ?  No,  indeed.  Men  and  brethren,  we  are  not 
going  to  come  down  and  compare  ourselves  with  any  such  persons ! 
1  hat  won't  do  at  all ! 

As  fast  as  ever  the  Northern  armies  cleared  the  way,  benevolent 
and  devoted  teachers  sent  down  by  the  different  churches  followed, 
and  imparted  to  those  who  had  never  had  a  chance  before  the  elements 
of  English  education,  teaching  them  to  read,  write  and  figure,  and 
many  other  useful  things  besides  that  accompany  civilization  and  en 
lightenment.  The  American  Mission  Association  took  the  lead,  but 
the  different  churches  and  societies  sent  down  their  full  quotas,  and 
those  volunteer  teachers  did  a  splendid  and  most  devoted  work.  And 
yet  there  was  some  risk  to  run  in  this  business,  now  being  tried  for  the 
first  time,  because  the  war  was  still  going  on,  and  sometimes  the 
Southern  arms  regained  the  territory  they  had  lost,  which  brought 
the  teachers  into  danger  on  one  hand,  and  the  colored  people  on  the 
other.  It  had  always  been  the  policy  of  the  Southern  law-makers  to 
keep  the  slaves  in  darkness,  and  even  the  rank  and  file  of  the  white 
people  themselves  were  purposely  kept  in  a  condition  little  better  than 


HISTORICAL   ROMAXCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN   XECJKO.  73 

tlit  slaves.  The  planters  kept  teachers  in  their  own  grand  halls,  or 
sent  their  sons  and  daughters  away  from  home  for  education.  It  was 
made  a  crime  for  a  slave  to  be  found  with  a  book  in  his  possession,  or 
for  anybody  to  teach  him,  whether  he  was  white  or  a  free  person  of 
color.  A  white  man  taught  even  the  celebrated  Bishop  Daniel  E. 
Payne  in  a  cellar  at  Charleston,  S.  C.,  of  which  city  the  bishop  was  a 
native  In  short,  the  laws  of  slavery  warred  upon  nature,  and  even  on 
God  himself.  The  whole  system  was  a  system  of  murder,  robbery  and 
adultery.  Every  human  right  was  broken  down ;  but  as  the  Northern 
armies  cleared  the  way  the  teachers  and  their  colored  pupils  rushed  in 
at  once. 

On  the  3rd  of  March,  1865,  Congress  launched  the  Freedman's 
Bureau  upon  the  country  for  the  purpose  of  assisting  the  freedman  in 
any  and  every  way  just  as  soon  as  they  were  set  free  from  slavery,  and 
required  the  help  of  the  national  government.  The  Freedman's  Bureau 
took  education  under  its  fostering  care,  and  did  a  good  work  during 
the  few  years  that  it  lasted,  1865  to  1872.  The  devoted  teachers  from 
the  North  had  even  begun  to  follow  the  very  armies  themselves  as 
early  as  the  year  1862,  and  we  find  them  then  on  the  Lower  Missis 
sippi.  The  cfodored  soldiers  took  to  their  lessons  well,  and  owing  to 
their  great  thirst  for  learning,  they  learned  with  an  eagerness  and  ra 
pidity  that  filled  their  willing  teachers  with  the  greatest  surprise.  And 
throughout  the  freed  zones  did  not  only  young  girls  and  boys  thus 
drink  in — yea,  literally  swallow7  up  instruction,  but  smart  men  and 
women  sixty  and  seventy  years  of  age  and  over  learned  to  write,  read, 
spell  and  cipher  with  a  gusto  and  an  enthusiasm  that  was  most  in 
spiring  ! 

"Arise  !  Shine  forth,  for  the  light  has  come,  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord 
has  risen  upon  thee !"  Thus  saith  the  Prophet,  and  it  was  now  ful 
filled.  What  a  treat,  to  be  sure,  for  men  and  women  thus  to  learn  to 
read  the  mighty  word  of  God,  many  of  them  in  their  old  age !  Verily, 
the  ways  of  the  Lord  are  wonderful  and  past  finding  out !  Much  hard 
ship  was  experienced  at  first  in  finding  suitable  buildings  in  which  to 
teach  the  people,  and  many  a  church  and  school-house  were  burned  to 
the  ground  both  during  the  war  and  the  first  years  that  followed  the 
entire  collapse  of  the  "peculiar  institution,"  but  that  has  not  stopped 


74  HISTORICAL   KOMANCK  OK  TIIK   AMKKK'AN 

the  triumphal  march  of  the  education  of  the  colored  race,  for  who,  in 
deed,  could  stop  the  waves  of  the  ocean  ? 

It  is  indeed  a  joyous  thing  to  look  around  us  at  this  time  and  be 
hold  even  now  how  high  the  sun  has  ascended  in  the  heavens.  If  we 
have  advanced  so  much  in  thirty-two  years,  how  much  farther  shall 
we  be  in  thirty-two  more  ?  Behold  all  the  schools,  colleges  and  places 
of  learning  of  every  name  and  nature  thrown  open  in  hundreds  to  our 
young  people,  both  male  and  female !  What  a  glorious  array  of  splen 
did  seminaries  all  over  the  great  republic,  besides  hundreds  belonging1 
to  the  whites,  to  \vhich  we  can  obtain  admission !  It  is  true  that  there 
are  others  still  barred  against  us  on  account  of  the  prejudice  still  ob 
taining  here  and  there  owing  to  the  color  of  the  skin,  but  that  will  give 
way  in  due  time,  for  there  is  nothing  incapable  of  change  but  the 
Great  Creator  Himself. 

By  way  of  illustrating  the  results  of  the  great  Civil  War,  let  us 
look  back  a  little  over  twenty  years,  when  Fisk  University,  at  Xash- 
ville,  Tennessee,  sent  forth  Miss  Ella  Shephard  and  the  rest  of  the 
"Jubilee  Minstrels"  to  astonish  the  North  with  what  even  those  who 
had  been  in  slavery  could  do,  when  once  their  God-given  talents  were 
brought  to  the  front.  For  the  benefit  of  Fisk  University  they  sang 
an  immense  sum  of  money  out  of  the  country,  and  covered  themselves 
with  unfading  glory  for  all  coming  time.  And  where  would  those  poor 
girls  have  been  if  it  had  not  been  for  their  own  fathers  who  assisted 
white  men  in  the  war  to  knock  off  the  chains  of  slavery  ?  Why,  to  be 
sure,  instead  of  being  the  "Jubilee  Minstrels"  in  the  North,  they  would 
have  been  toiling  among  the  cotton,  the  sugar-cane  and  the  rice  fields 
of  the  South,  wearing  their  young  lives  away  down  there. 

But  the  glories  of  the  "Jubilee  Singers"  were  by  no  means  over. 
More  money  was  still  needed,  and  those  devoted  people  again  book  to 
the  road,  and  this  time,  with  most  laudable  ambition  ;  they  even  crossed 
the  North  Atlantic,  and  sang  with  the  most  abundant  success  before 
the  crowned  heads  and  grandees  of  Europe.  These  crowned  heads 
and  grandees  knew  full  well  that  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  war  for  free 
dom  and  the  union,  the  singers  would  at  this  time  have  been  in  the 
cane,  the  cotton  and  the  rice  fields  singing: 


HISTORICAL  ROAfANCE  OF  THE  AMBBICAN  NEGRO.  •    75 

"Away  down  in  Egypt's  land 

\\>  have  gained  the  victory, 
Away  down  in  Egypt's  land 

\\V  have  gained  the  day! 
Oh,  children  ain't  you  glad, 

The  sea  gave  away? 

When  Moses  smote  the  waters 

The  children  all  passed  over, — 
O,   glory,   hallehiia! 

For  we  have  gained  the  day!  . 
Oh,  children,  aint  you  glad, 

That  Moses  smote  the  waters, — 
Oh,  children  ain't  you  glad 

The  sea  gave  away? 

The  Jubilee  singers  did  sing  the  above  song  and  many  others  be 
fore  the  rich  and  great,  and  the  general  population  of  the  British  Isles 
and  continental  Europe,  but  it  was  to  let  them  hear  what  slaves  used 
to  sing  before  the  war  to  wile  away  the  time  before  Uncle  Sam  came 
down  from  the  North  to  set  them  all  free ;  in  doing  which  he  was  as 
sisted  by  200,000  colored  men,  or  more.  Such  are  the  fruits  of  war ! 

I  here  append  a  letter  I  received  from  Tom  at  New  Orleans, 
whither  he  had  been  carried  and  placed  in  a  hospital  on  account  of  a 
wound  he  had  received  in  a  skirmish  with  some  of  the  rebel  forces  on 
the  Lower  Mississippi : 

At  the  hospital,  New  Orleans,  La.,  December.  1864. 
My  Dear  Beulah:  — 

I  dare  say  that  you  and  the  children  are  looking  for  a  letter  from 
ine  once  more.  I  duly  received  your  own  nice,  kind  and  most  welcome  let 
ters,  with  all  the  sweet  home  news,  and  I  can  assure  you  that  they  did  me 
an  immense  deal  of  good  whilst  being  confined  here  with  my  wound.  I  am,, 
however,  doing  very  well  indeed,  and  in  a  short  time  expect  to  be  dis 
charged  and  in  the  ranks  once  more.  It  is  impossible  for  me  to  tell  you 
of  the  kindness  and  attention  of  these  doctors  and  nurses  in  this  hospital, 
it  is  reallj'  most  astonishing  to  see  strangers  so  kind.  We  are  all  loud  in 
the  praises  of  these  good  people,  who  are  taking  the  best  care  in  the  world 
of  us  when  we  are  -so  far  from  home  and  from  our  loved  ones.  Nobody 
knows  how  much  good  there  is  in  the  world  until  he  conies  across  good 
strangers  like  these.  Of  course  there  is  always  plenty  of  evil  in  it  too; 


76  HISTORICAL  KOMAXCK  OF  THE  AMKIllCAX   NKdKO. 

but  it  is  a>t  least  a  very  great  compensation  to  come  across  so  much  love 
.and  kindness  among  such  strange  people.  We  never  looked  for  anything 
better  than  cuffs  and  blows! 

Although  I  was  not  in  the  very  best  mood,  as  I  was  brought  down 
to  New  Orleans  to  enjoy  the  sights  all  around  me,  still  I  was  tremendously 
impressed  with  the  majesty  a/nd  immensity  of  the  ever-glorious  Mississippi. 
Well,  to  be  sure, — to  be  sure!  What  a  grand  factor  of  our  national  great 
ness  is  the  Mississippi!  I  don't  wonder  at  yourself  and  Mrs.  John  B.  Suth 
erland  always  making  such  a  fuss  over  our  glorious  river.  Indeed  too  much 
•can  never  be  spoken  in  its  praise,  and,  above  all, — of  the  great  Creator  who 
made  it.  I  have  seen  plenty  of  the  "Father  of  Waters"  before  on  many  a 
long  day,  as  I  went  sweeping  past  the  forts  where  I  was  located  further 
up  the  river;  but,  as  we  came  on,  it  received  so  many  and  such  large  rivers, 
into  its  swollen  waters,  tall  it  was  more  like  a  sea  than  a  river;  and,  al- 
thougii  level  and  destitute  of  beautiful  banks  like  the  Ohio,  it  had  ever  an 
increasing  majesty  a/nd  grandeur  about  it  tshat  mightily  impressed  all  who 
beheld  it.  I  don't  wonder  at  Uncle  Sam  fighting  so  hard  for  the  restoration 
of  the  Union.  Such  a  river  as  the  Mississippi  alone, — if  there  were  no 
other, — is  the  very  joy  and  glory  of  the  United  States.  But  I  shall  have 
more  to  tell  you  about  these  things  at  another  time,  and  I  hope  to  be  able 
to  do  so  by  word  of  mouth  when  the  war  is  over. 

I  very  much  regret  to  inform  you  that  several  of  my  wounded  com 
rades  have  died  since  we  were  all  broug-ht  into  this  hospital,  though  the 
most  part  of  them,  in  common  with  myself,  have  recovered;  and  AVC  now 
all  desire  to  go  back  to  war  as  soom  as  we  are  well. 

I  have  had  a  good  deal  of  conversation  with  a  soldier  who  served  in 
the  Red  river  oampaig-n  under  General  Banks,  and  where  the  rebels  num 
bered  three  to  our  one.  In  that  campaign  we  were  unsuccessful,  for  they 
defeated  our  forces  day  aifter  day.  We  were  about  ten  thousand  in  num 
ber,  as  we  fled  before  such  overwhelming  odds.  It  was  at  this  crisis  that 
the  black  soldier  proved  himself  such  "a  very  present  help  in  the  time  of 
trouble."  If  it  had  not  been  for  Dickey's  colored  troops  there  would  have 
been  a  regular  slaughter  of  the  Union  forces  at  Pleasant  Grove.  These 
-colored  soldiers  were  attached  to  the  first  division  of  the  19th  corps.  Our 
army  under  General  Banks  had  been  beaten  both  days  at  Sabine,  Cross 
lloads,  below  Mansfield,  and  they  drove  us  for  several  hours  before  them 
towards  Pleasant  Grove.  And  yet  the  ardor  and  spirit  of  the  combined 
Union  forces  under  Banks  and  Franklin  could  not  have  been  much  higher. 
But  for  all  that,  it  was  quite  evident  that  unless  the  rebels  could  be  check 
ed  by  the  time  we  were  pushed  back  to  Pleasant  Grove,  all  would  be  lost. 
So  General  Emory  prepared  for  the  coming  crisis  on  the  western  edge  of 
a,  wood,  which  had  an  open  field  before  it  that  sloped  down  towards 
Mansfield.  It  was  at  this  point  that  General  Dwiyln  formed  a  brigade  of 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

the  colored  troops  right  across  the  road  in  the  face  of  the  rebels,  who 
came  rushing  and  hurrahing-  on,  driving  our  ten  thousand  men  before  them. 
They  were  charging  at  double  quick  time;  but  the  black  brigade  reserved 
their  fire  till  ithe  exultant  rebels  were  close  at  hand,  when  they  all  poured 
a  deadly  volley  into  them,  arresting  them  at  once,  and  covered  the  ground 
with  their  dead  and  wounded.  Now  a  regular  fight  came  on  which  lasted 
an  hour  and  a  half,  and  only  ceased  even  then  because  darkness  put  an 
end  to  the  terrible  combat.  The  foe  made  one  charge  after  another,  and 
as  lie  had  plenty  of  men,  he  thought  he  would  wear  us  out  at  last;  but  the 
black  soldiers  and  General  Emory's  brigade  successfully  repulsed  them 
ex-cry  time,  and  thus  saved  the  Union  army  from  being  destroyed.  Xor 
was  this  the  only  time  that  our  own  troops  met  the  rebels  in  the  Red  river 
campaign,  and  defied  botth  them  'and  their  repeated  threats  of  "the  black 
nag;"  for  they  always  said  that  they  would  not  treat  a  black  man  like  a 
white  man  if  the  former  fell  alive  into  their  hands.  They  said  they  would 
treat  him  like  a  wild  beast,  and  not  like  a  human  being  at  all!  Xo  doubt 
but  that  was  done  to  keep  our  soldiers  from  fighting  for  freedom  and  the 
Union;  but  the  threat  most  signally  failed,  because  our  brave  men  cared 
not  a  straw  for  their  black  flag;  indeed  the  threats,  and  even  the  practices 
of  the  rebels  in  destroying  some  of  our  .prisoners  whom  they  took  in  the 
beginning  contributed  a  great  deal  in  bringing  about  the  downfall  of  the 
rebel  powers,  at  least  up  to  the  present  time;  and  will  no  doubt  contri 
bute  more  and  more  till  th'e  last  rebel  lays  down  his  arms.  Although  a 
war  proclamation  has  been  issued  that  we  will  shoot  our  rebel  prisoners, 
if  they  kill  amy  of  our  men,  I  am  unable  to  say  what  general  effect  it  has 
had  so  far.  I  only  know  that  none  of  the  men  who  have  fallen  alive  into 
their  hands  have  ever  since  been  heard  of,  and  I  fear  the  worst.  But  of 
one  thing  I  am  sure,  and  that  is,  that  the  "black  soldiers"  so  far  has  done 
as  good  fighting  as  the  "white  soldiers,"  and  he  has  either  won  or  been 
defeated  with  the  lattter  on  many  a  hard  fought  field.  He  has  had  his  full 
share  in  disaster  and  victory  alike;  and  thus  ;he  will  still  assist  in  pulling 
down  this  terrible  rebellion, — but  I  must  lay  down  my  pen.  With  much  love 
to  yourself  and  all,  I  am, 

Your  most  affectionate, 

THOMAS. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Tom's  Letter  From  the  Seat  of  War — The  Pilgrim's  Progress — Niag 
ara  Falls — Visit  to  Canada — Letters  From  Richmond  Hill — 
Great  War  Interest  in  Canada — The  Girl's  Letter  to  Papa — Tom's 
Letter  and  Poem  on  the  Great  Fight  With  the  Bloodhounds  in 
South  Carolina. 

I  have  always  believed  that  it  was  because  the  Lord  loved  me  that 
He  gave  me  so  good  a  husband,  who,  by  the  bye,  is  preserved  to  me 
yet,  and  for  the  same  reason,  that  He  allowed  me  to  have  my  dear 
mother  with  me  again.  She  has  been  the  very  joy  of  my  life,  and  is 
with  me  still.  I  would  have  missed  my  gallant  and  devoted  Tom  in 
no  small  degree  when  he  went  away  to  the  war  among  so  many  others 
of  the  brave  and  true,  only  he  was  so  attentive  about  writing  me  let 
ters  during  his  absence.  I  have  kept  all  those  missives  of  his,  and 
laid  them  carefully  away,  and  I  have  always  said  they  would  make  a 
good  book  if  they  were  printed ;  and  some  day  I  may  put  them  in 
book  form. 

And  Tom's  numerous  and  well-written  letters  were  not  only  a 
perpetual  treat  and  joy  to  myself,  but  the  two  sweet  girls,  and  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  John  B.  Sutherland,  and  a  few  select  friends  who  came 
round  the  house  seemed  never  to  tire  of  reading  his  letters.  He  also 
wrote  each  of  them  a  separate  letter  occasionally,  but  as  a  general 
thing,  his  long  letters  to  myself  had  to  serve  for  all. 

During  all  this  time  the  girls  were  growing  up  finely,  and  every 
twelve  months  I  had  their  photographs  taken  and  sent  to  him  to  let 
him  see  how  nicely  they  looked  in  their  New  Year's  dresses.  Tom 
sent  up  photographs  of  hirriself  in  his  plain  soldier's  dress,  and  also  in 
his  officer's  dress,  after  his  promotion.  Poor  Tom !  My  eyes  often 
filled  with  tears  when  his  letters  came,  and  I  sat  down  with  an  anxious 
heart  to  read  their  contents.  I  knew,  of  course,  that  the  children  and  I 
should  be  provided  for,  should  Tom  be  numbered  with  the  slain,  but 
we  all  longed  to  see  him,  and  prayed  much  to  Almighty  God  that  if 


Ctt 


HISTORICAL    ROMANC1-:  OFTIIK   AMERICAN    NKCRO.  79 

it  was  His  gracious  will  our  Tom  might  come  home  to  us  once  more 
from  the  war. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  one  Christmas  my  two  daughters  were 
cojointly  presented  with  a  large,  splendid,  and  well-illustrated  copy 
of  "The  Pilgrim's  Progress" — a  book  that  attracted  them  so  much 
that  they  have  been  reading  it  ever  since !  This  glorious  book  kindled 
up  all  the  latent  enthusiasm  of  their  souls,  and  in  their  excitement  over 
"Doubting  Castle,"  "Vanity  Fair,"  and  a  hundred  other  wonders,  they 
even  wrote  letters  to  their  father  about  that  wonderful  book  and  its 
author — the  tinker  and  preacher  of  Bedford.  Their  youthful  enthusi 
asm  amused  their  father  very  much,  and  he  wrote  back  to  them  at  once 
to  read  all  in  the  Pilgrim's  Progress  that  they  wanted.  They  used  to 
take  turns  with  the  book ;  one  would  read  for  an  hour  at  a  time,  and  the 
other  would  listen.  I  have  always  looked  back  upon  the  coming  of 
that  book  into  my  house  as  a  real  blessing. 

And  still  we  always  continued  to  attend  the  ordinances  of  our 
sweet  little  Church  on  Vine  street — attended  them  on  the  Sabbath  and 
during  the  week.  The  girls  went  to  the  Sunday  School,  and  we  adults 
assisted  all  that  we  could. 

As  Niagara  Falls  were  not  more  than  twenty-two  miles  away,  we 
all  occasionally  took  a  holiday  and  went  down  and  spent  the  day  there, 
crossing  over  to  the  Canadian  shore  by  way  of  the  Suspension  Bridge, 
that  we  might  stand  on  Table  Rock  and  see  the  great  "Horsesho^ 
Fall."  Well,  really,  the  Falls  of  Niagara  are  a  wonderful  sight.  Even 
our  own  smaller  American  Fall  is  a  splendid  sight,  thought  rather 
diminutive  compared  with  the  great  Horeshoe  Fall  on  the  Canadian 
side  of  the  river.  I  can  never  understand  how  a  mere  puny  man  can 
stand  before  the  great  Creator's  works  here,  and  say,  "There  is  no 
God." 

During  the  fall  of  1864,  I  took  my  two  daughters  and  went  as 
far  as  Oxford  county,  Canada,  to  pay  a  visit  to  a  dear  family  with 
whom  I  became  acquainted  in  Buffalo.  The  weather  was  most  de 
lightful,  and  we  enjoyed  ourselves  very  much  indeed  during  the  month 
we  remained  on  the  farm.  At  that  time  I  wrote  the  following  letter 
to  Tom,  and  will  here  introduce  it,  as  it  will  speak  for  itself: 


80  HISTORICAL   KOMA.NCK  OF  THi^   AM  Kin  CAN    NKUKO. 

RICHMOND  HILL,  Oxford  Co.,  Canada,  Sept.,  1864. 
To  Captain  Thomas  Lincoln, 

My  Dear  Husband. — The  children  and  I  took  the  train  at  Buffalo  and 
came  here  two  weeks  ago,  to  pay  a  long-promised  visit  to  the  Gibsons  at 
"Richmond  Hill"  farm,  which  lies  in  the  county  of  Oxford  some  ten  or  twelve 
miles  from  the  nearest  station  on  the  railroad.  We  left  Buffalo  early  in 
the  morning-,  amd  thus  bad  the  whole  day  before  us,  and  plenty  of  leisure 
to  look  at  the  highly  cultivated  country  through  which  we -passed.  The 
country  was  truly  delightful  all  the  way  to  Ingersoll,  were  we  got  out  of 
the  train,  and  where  one  of  the  Gibson's  met  us  with  >a  buggy.  We  all  got 
in,  and  the  children  and  I  were  greatly  pleased  with  the  charming  country 
all  around  us,  the  farms  being  in  such  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  But  it 
was  not  all  farming  land  that  we  passed  through,  for  our  way  in  one  place 
led  us  through  the  forest,  where  the  squirrels  were  running  in  perfect  free 
dom  overhead  in  the  branches,  a.nd  we  could  hear  the  woodman's  axe  ring 
ing  both  far  and  near  and  bringing  dowin  the  tall  trees.  After  we  had 
come  about  ten  miles,  we  saw  "Richmond  Hill"  high  up  on  the  rising  ground 
on  the  far  side  of  a  very  narrow  valley,  that  ran  down  to  the  cypress  swamp 
away  on  our  right  hand.  So  we  issued  out  of  the  woods  on  the  top  of  the 
hill  we  were  now  descending,  made  our  way  along  the  creek  at  the  bottom 
for  a  little  distance  to  the  right,  and  then  we  opened  a  big  country  gate  and 
made  our  way  up  through  the  fields  to  the  farm  house  door.  While  the  girls 
and  I  were  looking  around  at  the  grand  view  presented  on  all  hands  to  our 
astonished  eyes,  the  front  house  door  opened,  and  out  came  Mrs.  Gibson 
and  her  two  daughters,  and  as  many  of  the  sons  as  were  at  home  at  the 
time  of  our  arrival.  They  helped  us  out  of  the  buggy,  kissed  and  embraced 
us  most  rapturously,  and  gave  us  a  very  warm,  hearty  and  enthusiastic 
welcome.  (My  whole  soul  fairly  grows  warm  when  I  think  of  that  wel 
come  among  the  good  Canadians).  So  they  brought  us  into  their  nice 
house,  which  reminded  me  of  the  "Palace  Beautiful"  in  the  Pilgrim's 
Progress.  I  had  a  little  room  for  myself  on  a  wing  of  the  house.  They 
called  my  room  the  "Guest  Chamber,"  and  it  was  a  snug  room  with  a  pret 
ty  name  I  am  sure.  The  girls  slept  in  another  small  room  near  my  own. 
Our  things  \vere  all  brought  into  the  house  and  well  disposed  of  within 
reach,  and  we  felt  most  thoroughly  at  home  among  a  kind  people  whose 
loving  ways  filled  me  and  the  girls  with  surprise.  Mr.  Gibson  himself  came 
home  during  the  day,  and  gave  us  ,a  warm  welcome  to  Richmond  Hill,  and 
we  saw  the  whole  family  with  the  exception  of  two  who  were  not  at  home 
at  that  time. 

The  friends  and  neighbors  round  about  heard  of  our  arrival  and  came 
to  see  us,  and  to  invite  me  and  the  girls  to  pay  them  a  visit  as  soon  as  ever 
we  were  able  to  do  so.  Indeed,  had  I  known  of  the  beauty  and  enchant- 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  81 

ment  of  this  place  and  such  a  kind  family,  I  would  have  been  here  long* 
ag-o,  never  you  fear! 

This  glorious  visit  to  Richmond  Hill,  where  we  have  already  been  for 
two  weeks,  seem  to  the  girls  and  me  the  essence  of  all  enchantment,  and 
the  very  ground  we  tread  upon  seems  to  be  perfectly  enchanted  ground. 
The  weather  is  so  fine,  the  Gibsons  themselves  are  so  refined  and  polished,, 
and  there  is  so  much  beauty  all  around  us,  that  life  itself  seems  to  be  one- 
long-  day  of  joy.  It  is  so  delightful  to  climb  the  hill  behind  itihe  house,  and 
look  across  the  deep  and  narrow  valley  below  us  to  the  primaeval  forests- 
through  which  we  rode;  then  we  can  see  the  winding  creek  away  to  our 
right,  and  the  evergren  cypress  swamp  away  upon  our  left.  After  we  have 
seen  all  that,  there  are  still  the  farm  houses  and  cottages  lying  all  round 
about  us  on  the  hill  tops,  and  we  often  turn  into*  one  of  them  and  sit  down 
for  an  hour  after  our  walk. 

The  Gibsons  are  neither  Secesh,  nor  semi-Unionists,  nor  even  Cop 
perheads!  They  are  good  Union  people  out  and  out,  and  they  are  for  the 
restoration  of  the  American  Union.  You  would  be  thunderstruck  if  you 
were  here  and  beheld  the  overwhelming  interest  that  the  Canadians  take 
in  the  Civil  War  in  the  States.  They  are  mostly  Unionists,  but  some  few 
would  rather  see  the  South  win, — just  the  very  same  as  they  are  in  England 
and  France.  But  we  need  not  blame  these  few  Canadians,  nor  go  all  the 
way  across  the  North  Atlantic  to  England,  and  Germiany,  and  France,  for 
all  the  Northern  States  are  honeycombed  with  Democrats  and  semi-Union 
ists  called  "Copperheads,"  who  are  doing  almost  as  much,  harm  to  our 
arms  as  the  rebels  themselves;  because  they  sympathize  with  the  South, — 
they  desire  them  to  retain  their  slaves,  and  would  object  to  the  colored 
man  being  made  a  freeman  and  a  citizen.  They  have  no  heart  for  the 
Union  with  freedom. 

We  ihave  little  cause  indeed  to  find  fault  with  Southern  sympathizers 
far,  far  away  beyond  the  deep,  blue  seas,  when  they  are  swarming  all  over 
the  North,  and  are  found  mixed  up  in  every  part  of  the  Union, — East,  West 
and  South  as  well.  There  are  tens  of  'thousands  of  people,  who,  I  firmly 
believe,  would  rather  see  the  very  Union  itself  broken  up  than  that  the 
curse  of  slavery  should  now  come  to*  an  'end!  We  here  in  Canada  have 
nothing  to  do  but  look  around  us  to  see  the  proofs  of  all  this.  In  these  try 
ing  days,  when  Uncle  Sam  is  compelled  to  resort  to  one  draft  after  another 
draft,  to  fill  up  the  depleted  ranks  of  our  armies,  there  are  'thousands  and 
tens  of  thousands  of  men  who  have  crossed  over  here  into  British  Amer 
ica,  and  I  have  seen  plenty  of  them  with  my  own  eyes.  One  day  I  met 
quite  a  fine  young  doctor  from  Maine, — quite  a  fine  medical  nrnn,  and  a 
good  looking  fellow  to  boot,  who  addressed  me  in  these  words,  "I  was  at 
home  in  Maine  with  my  newly  married  wife  when  the  draft  came,  and  I 
was  taken.  I  have  no  hatred  against  Southern  men  who  never  did  me  any 


82  HISTOKICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

harm,  and  considered  I  had  no  right  to  throw  my  young  life  away  on 
Southern  bullets.  I  had  also  other  conscientious  objections  to  the  whole 
business,  and  did  not  consider  their  war  any  inter,  st  of  mine!  The  Can 
adian  frontier,  therefore,  being-  near  at  hand,  it  was  my  own  privilege  to 
do  just  as  I  pleased — "to  use  force"  as  well  as  they!  So  I  crossed  the 
Canadian  border,  and  here  I  am  in  good  health  and  safety!  Upon  that  he 
drew  a  letter  out  of  his  inside  vest  pocket, — a  letter  just  received  from 
his  wife,  along  with  the  photograph  of  her,  which  he  showed  me,  and  she 
looked  most  uncommonly  pretty  too. 

One  day  the  girls  and  I  were  walking  along  the  high  road  when  we 
met  six  men  who  had  come  over  from  the  Northern  States,  and  all  over 
the  length  and  breadth  of  Canada,  they  are  everywhere,  and  indeed,  the 
yery  woods  seem  to  be  full  of  them! 

The  first  thing  I  do  in  the  morning,  and  the  last  thing  at  night,  is 
to  pray  to  our  Father  in  Heaven  for  you,  my  own  dear  Tom, — that  he  may 
take  care  of  you;  and,  if  it  be  his  good  will  and  pleasure,  to  bring  you 
back  safe  and  sound  to  us  at  home.  I  no  longer  wonder  at  some  people 
being  fond  of  travel.  No  wonder,  for  it  has  its  charms  and  great  ones  too. 
It  seems  to  me  so  very  strange  that  the  children  and  I, — in  a  few  hours 
time,  should  be  transported  from  the  City  of  Buffalo  to  this  romantic  and 
almost  ethereal  home  upon  the  hills  of  Western  Canada,  and  then  for  me 
to  turn  around  and  think  of  you  and  the  rest  of  the  army  battling  away 
for  freedom  and  union  in  the  Fair  South!  We  get  the  papers  here  every 
day.  They  acre  brought  from  the  nearest  post  town  which  is  three  miles 
away,  and  then  we  all  have  sudh  a  scramble  to  hear  the  latest  news  from 
the  seat  of  war,  as  they  call  it  on  their  great  headlines.  It  does  not  sur 
prise  me  so  mucth  that  we  at  home  should  make  such  an  ado  over  the  war 
news,  but  that  these  Canadians  should  also  take  so  much  interest  as  our 
selves  seems  to  me  most  astonishing  indeed.  It  is  just  three  miles  from 
here  to  the  post  town,  and  one  day  we  three  went  to  spend  the  day  with 
some  relatives  of  the  Gibsons.  On  an  open  space  at  the  entrance  to  the 
town  stood  a  large  tent,-^a  kind  of  show  called  "The  War  in  the  South." 
We  paid  the  showman  five  cents  apiece  and  went  in  to  see  the  pictures  of 
the  war  set  out  on  the  canvas.  We  looked  through  the  round,  bull-eye 
glasses,  and  the  geneiral  effect  was  to  magnify  the  whole  scene  to  a  very 
great  extent.  I  must  confess  that  after  all  that  I  have  read  and  heard, 
this  peep-show,  or  whatever  else  you  may  call  it,  gave  me  a  better  idea  of 
the  field  of  war,  and  its  far-spreading  extent  than  all  I  have  ever  learned 
from  other  sousrces, — all  put  together. 

As  we  stood  and  looked  we  could  see  the  long,  fertile,  southern  plains 
under  the  noonday  sun;  the  woods  and  forest  lay  around  them  like  a  fringe 
in  the  distance;  so  minute  and  life-like  did  the  very  trees  and  bushes  ap 
pear  that  I  could  almost  tell  what  species  they  belonged  to.  Other  pic- 


HISTORIC AL   ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

tures,  in  which  we  were  ten  times  more  interested,  showed  us  the  northern 
and  southern  armies  on  the  march  with  flags  flying-,  or  else  they  were  en 
camped  on  the  edge  of  a  wood  among  the  lofty  trees.  There  were  also  scenes 
of  war  and  a  battle  which  looked  really  too  dreadful,  even  to  behold  the 
pictures  of  them.  At  such  times  I  felt  quite  inclined  to  shut  my  eyes  on 
such  awful  soemes.  "If  such  is  the  mere  picture,"  I  said  to  myself,  "what 
must  the  reality  of  actual  war  be."  When  we  Shad  thoroughly  satisfied  our 
selves  with  this  famous  little  peep-show,  we  came  out,  considering  that 
\ve  had  had  a  good  five  cents'  worth, — I  mean  five  cents  a  piece!  And  so 
we  moved  on  to  our  friend's  house,  where  we  had  a  most  uncommonly  warm 
welcome,  and  where  we  'spent  the  whole  day,  some  other  friends  coming 
in  to  see  us  during  our  pleasant  visit. 

I  must  noit  forget  to  tell  you  that  at  the  farm  house  at  "Richmond 
Hill"  they  have  quite  a  fine  piano;  and,  as  my  experience  during  the  great 
Abolition  campaign  in  the  Nonfch  made  me  quite  an  adept  at  speaking  and 
singing  in  public,  I  have  been  able  to  entertain  these  good  Gibsons  and 
other  Canadian  friends  with  some  of  the  music  and  songs  I  used  to  play 
and  sing.  Our  girls  also  have  done  very  well  on  the  piano,  to  be  so  young 
jet. 

We  all  .send  our  warmest  love  to  you;  and  if  I  see  any  good  reason 
for  writing  yoiu  again  before  we  leave  Richmond  Hill,  will  send  you  'another 
Canadian  letter  before  our  .return  borne,  and  I  remain,  my  dear  Tom,  ever 
your  most  affectionate  wife, 

BEULAH  LINCOLN. 

When  we  had  been  a  month  at  Richmond  Hill,  and  were  getting 
ready  for  our  departure  on  the  following  day,  the  girls  had  a  great  de 
sire  to  write  their  papa.  So  I  furnished  them  with  the  writing  materials, 
upon  which  they  put  their  heads  and  thoughts  together,  and  wrote  the 
letter  that  follows : 

RICHMOND  HILL,  October,  1864. 
Our  Dear  Papa: — 

With  great  pleasure  we  send  you  this  letter,  we  your  daughters,  who 
love  you.  We  are  all  quite  well,  and  hope  you  are  well  also  amidst  the 
dangers  and  toils  of  the  war.  All  the  letters  and  other  things  that  you 
sent  us  to  Buffalo  were  forwarded  to  us  to  Richmond  Hill,  in  Canada.  We 
have  read  your  letters  over  and  over  again  with  greait  interest,  and  the 
friends  heore  have  read  some  of  them  that  told  lall  about  the  military  opera 
tions  in  the  fields,  and  they  were  very  well  pleased  with  thedr  contents,  fo.r 
the  Gibsons  are  great  union  people  too. 

As  the  weather  here  has  been  most  delightfully  sunny,  and  we  have 
been  so  much,  in  the  open  air  on.  these  Canadian  hills,  both  mama  and  our 


84  HISTOR J CAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  A M  K 1  i  I  ( '  A  X   N  K< ;  I H ). 

two  selves  have  gotten  quite  fat,  and  also  look  as  people  do  when  they 
come  from  the  bathing-  places  on  the  <sea  shore.  We  also  feel  right  good, 
all  three  of  us,  for  we  have  had  a  grand  time,  and  been  so  very  kindly  used. 
Thus  our  hearts  and  minds  are  content,  and  we  are  going  home  to  Buffalo- 
tomorrow  filled  with  pleasure,  like,  heavily  laden  bees  going  humming'  to 
their  hives  with  plenty  of  sweet  honey. 

We  have  been  to  church  in  the  town  every  Sunday  since  we  came 
here.  The  Gibsons  are  Presbyterians,  and  so  we  went  'to  the  Presbyterian 
church,  and  indeed  it  is  very  beautiful.  We  stood  up  to  pray  instead  of 
kneeling  down  as  we  do  at  Vine  Street,  in  Buffalo,  but  Dr.  Bell  is  a  famous 
preacher. 

As  the  buggy  could  not  hold  everybody,  mamma  rode  both  ways  and 
we  walked,  and  we  never  thought  of  getting  tired. 

The  horse  is  an  awful  quiet  one,  something  little  "Gentle  Annie"  of 
the  song.  We  were  not  a  bit  afraid  to  drive  on  week  days  by  our  two 
selves,  and  bring  the  mail  from  the  postoffice;  and  then  we  learned  how 
to  drive  and  manage  a  horse.  Bust  the  Gibson  horse  would  never  make  a 
war  horse,  he  is  not  strong  enough,  and  the  cannons  would  frighten  him 
too  much. 

We  do  not  go  to  market  here  for  fruit  and  vegetables.  We  just  open 
the  gates  to  the  garden  and  orchard,  and  bring  in  all  the  potatoes,  cab 
bage,  turnips,  pears,  peaches,  apples,  and  whatever  else  we  may  need.  We 
have  been  very  busy  paring  apples;  and  besides  that  we  have  a  lot  of 
fruit  in  jars  that  we  are  going  to  take  home  to  Buffalo.  The  preserves  will, 
be  nice  in  winter. 

We  met  with  a  wonderful  piece  of  good  luck  at  Richmond  Hill.  The 
Gibsons  have  got  an  enormous  copy  of  the  Pilgrim's  Progress, — as  big  as 
a  family  Bible,  published  in  London,  and  all  the  pictures  are  quite  different 
from  those  in  our  own.  O,  what  grand  times  we  had  looking  at  all  the 
pictures ! 

When  night  eame  on,  we  girls  took  our  turn  amd  read  "The  War  in 
the  South"  in  the  "Daily  Toronto  Globe."  How  our  eyes  did  glisten  as  we 
read  many  parts  of  the  news! 

We  will  leave  this  house  tomorrow  after  an  early  breakfast.  One  of 
the  sons  will  drive  us  to  Ingersoll  railway  station.  We  have  now  seen  the 
whole  family, — all  the  Gibsons.  We  never  knew  that  there  were  such  fine 
people  in  Canada.  We  are  all  so  very  glad  that  the  Lord  directed  our  young 
feet  to  this  place. 

We  must  now  close  our  letter  with  much  love  from  everybody,  and 
we  are,  our  dear  papa,  your  most  loving  daughters, 

and Lincoln. 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  85 

We  got  home  to  Buffalo  once  more  all  fight,  but  that  grand  visit 
made  a  very  great  impression  upon  our  hearts  and  minds.  I  have  at 
tempted  to  place  a  few  sketches  of  it  before  my  kind  and  indulgent 
reader,  but  Oh,  dear  me !  if  I  were  to  write  down  all  that  I  could  write 
about  that  famous  visit  it  would  fill  up  a  whole  book.  Perhaps  I  may 
return  to  the  subject  again. 

Soon  after  our  return  to  our  happy  and  pleasant  home  in  Buffalo, 
I  received  the  following  letter  from  Tom : 

NEW  ORLEANS,  La.,  October,  1864. 
Mrs.  Beulah  Lincoln, 

My  Dear  Beulah: — Since  I  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  captain,  my 
•duties  have  varied  a  good  deal  more  at  different  times  than  they  did  wihen 
1  was  a  private  in  tihe  ranks.  I  have  lately  been  laway  in  the  interior  of 
this  State,  but  here  I  am  back  to  the  Orescent  City  once  more,  and  ever 
trying  to  attend  most  faithfully  to  my  duties.  I  tell  you,  my  dear  Beulah, 
It  takes  every  one  of  us  to  do  'our  very  best, — with  a  long-  pull,  -and  a  strong 
pull,  and  a  pull  altogether, — to  pull  down  this  terrible  and  powerful  re 
bellion.  People  can  think,  and  talk,  and  even  write  all  they  please;  but 
I  ain  firmly  convinced  that  had  Abraham  Lincoln  not  issued  his  famous 
emancipation  proclamation  on  the  1st  of  January,  1863,  the  war  would  go 
on  for  twenty  years,  and  perhaps  we  would  have  to  compromise  with  the 
Tebels  even  then.  And  then  they  are  such  fighters!  Why,  they  are  worse  than 
tigers!  However  that  may  be,  I  know  one  thing, — since  the  issuing  of  that 
proclamation  the  rebellion  has  been  cut  down,  in  territory  on  all  sides;  and, 
as  we  have  got  hold  of  the  rebel  ports,  one  by  one,  the  blockade  runners 
have  been  cut  o>ff  by  sea  to  thait  extent,  Thus  we  have  cut  off  their  sup 
plies  from  foreign  nations;  and  right  here  I  may  notice  that,  as  to  the 
millions  of  silver  and  gold  that  the  South  has  piled  and  heaped  from  the 
-toils  and  labors  oif  the  oppressed  slaves, — of  all  that  ill-gotten  coin,  there 
is  perhaps  not  'one  dollar  of  it  left  now  an  the  entire  South.  It  has  all 
gone  to  buy  the  munition  of  war  in  Europe;  and  yet  the  cause  for  which 
-the  South  has  expended  it  will  all  be  lost! 

The  rebellion  is  going  down,  and  will  come  to  an  end  by  and  by.  I 
suppose  there  are  now  about  200,000  colored  troops  in  the  field,  many  of 
win  mi  used  to  raise  the  crops  'for  "old  Massa."  Now  white  men  must  stay 
:it  home  and  raise  the  crops,  and  look  after  their  own  families  into*  the 
bargain,  and  all  that  is  so  much  more  cut  off  from  their  resources. 

I  used  to  be  of  the  opinion  that  aftetr  all  the  lickings  we  have  given 
them,  and  seeing  that  they  had  no  prospect  but  ultimate  defeat  before 
their  eyes,  they  would  come  to  terms  and  Lav  down  their  arms.  But  no!  — 


86  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN    M:(JRO. 

nothing1  of  the  sort  indeed!  They  have  still  their  pride  left,  and  that  is 
something1! — I  don't  think  we  will  ever  conquer  them;  but  we  will  just 
wear  them  away,  one  by  one,  till  there  is  not  another  rebel  left.  The  armies 
of  the  na/tions  of  history  have  usually  laid  down  their  arms  \vhen  they  saw 
that  the  struggle  was  quite  hopeless;  but  so  long  as  there  is  even  one 
Southern  rebel  left  who  can  stand  on  his  feet  and  hold  up  a  flag,  I  believe 
they  will  say  thia/t  the  South  is  still  indepetndeoit  and  free!  We  will  never 
conquer  them;  we  shall  have  to  wear  them  out! 

We  here  at  the  seat  of  war  in  the  South  are  splendidly  supplied  with 
an  abundance  of  newspapers,  magazines,  and  I  know  not  what  besides.  Some 
are  illustrated  with  all  sorts  of  pictures,  and  some  are  noit  illustrated:  and 
they  appear  to  be  sent  ito  us  poor  fellows  by  all  sorts  of  good  people  from 
all  the  four  winds  of  heaven.  In  one  of  these  latest  magazines  there  is  a 
very  vivid  representation  of  a  iterrible  fight  that  the  First  South  Carolina 
Colored  Regiment  had  with  bloodhounds  at  Pocatalago  Bridge,  on  the  23d 
of  October,  1862.  The  rebels  came  streaming  on  through  the  woods,  with 
horse,  foot  and  dragoons,  and  also  the  bloodhounds.  Our  own  brave  men 
advanced  boldly  through  among  the  trees,  and  attacked  dog,  horse  and  man 
in  a  terrible  hurry.  The  hounds  especially  dashed  against  our  men  with 
greiat  fierceness,  but  they  were  shot  down  and  bayoneted  quicker  than  it 
takes  me  to  tell  the  tale  with  pen  and  ink.  Then  the  gallant  troops  held 
them  up  aloft  for  joy  on  the  poimts  oif  'their  bayonets  aoid  laughed.  The 
dog's  looked  just  like  meat  on  the  point  of  a  fork.  I  have  turned  the  en 
tire  scene  into  a  little  poem  o"f  my  owin.  Here  it  is: 

We  met  /the   bloodhounds   at   the  bridge, 

They  nan  with  all  their  mig-ht; 
Their  open  mouths  cried  bow,  wow,  wow! 

It  wtas  a  glorious  sight. 
We   ran   our   bayonets   through   their   backs, 

WTe  shot  them  with  the  gun; 
It  was  all  over  with  -the  dogs, 

And  'twas  most  glorious  fun! 

In  formecr  days   those   brutes   were  used 

To  hum*  the  flying  slave; 
They  tracked  them  through  their  dismal  swamps, 

Amd  little  quarter  giave; 
But  when  'they  tried  the  game  of  war 

We  knocked  theon  on  the  head, 
We  shot  them  quick,  and  ran  them  through, 

Until  every  hound  was  dead! 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

Thus  perished  those  bad  dogs  at  once, 

We  tossed  them  high  for  fun; 
We  held  them   on  our  bayonet  tops, 

And  finished  the  last  one; 
Which  was  a  fitting  end  for  them, 

The  brutes  shall  bark  no  more, 
Nor  hunt  the  flying  fugitive 

On  Carolina's  shore! 

But  slavery  there  has  lost  the  day, 

They   need   bloodhounds   no   more; 
All  men.  and  women  now  are  iree 

O<n  Carolina's  shore; 
The  white  mam  now  will  learn  to  work 

Like  other  men  I  trow, 
Nor  raise  the  bloodhounds  for  the  chase, 

Big  brutes  that  cry  bow,  wow! 

But  I  must  lay  dowm  the  pen,  or  else  I  am  sure  you  will  begin  to  get 
tired  of  my  long  letter.  I  was  very  greatly  interested,  indeed,  in  your  glor 
ious  visit  to  Canada.  I  would  like  to  go  there  myself.  Perhaps  we  will  all 
visit  them  together  some  future  day.  With  much  warm  love  to  yourself, 
the  girls,  and  all  the  resit,  I  ani  as  ever, 

Your  most  loving  husband, 

THOMAS  LINCOLN. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

The  Fight  at  Marion,  Tennessee — The  Battle  of  Nashville — Success 
of  the  Northern  Armies — Massacre  at  Fort  Pillow — The  Rebels 
Refuse  to  Exchange  Colored  Soldiers — Our  Defeat  at  Olustee — 
Eighty  Thousand  Northern  Prisoners  Perishing  in  Southern 
Prisons — The  Mine  at  Petersburg — The  Wealth  of  the  South — A 
Soldier's  Song. 

When  we  consider  that  there  were  200,000  or  more  colored  men 
in  the  field,  and  that  they  were  engaged  in  fights,  large  and  small, 
somewhere  or  other  every  day  all  over  the  far-spreading  South,  where 
all  did  so  well  and  received  the  praises  of  the  brave  and  true,  it  seems 
to  me  ridiculous  at  this  time  of  day  to  look  back  and  select  particular 
actions  wherein  they  distinguished  themselves.  But  I  am  not  aware 
that  I  can  do  any  better  than  many  worthy  writers  have  done  before 
me.  There  was  one  circumstance,  however,  or  rather  course  of  similar 
circumstances  that  struck  those  of  us  at  home  who  closely  followed  the 
war  as  detailed  by  private  letters  and  dispatches  in  the  public  news 
papers,  which  was  that  on  many  memorable  occasions  the  colored 
regiments  saved  the  defeated  and  flying  white  troops  from  complete 
destruction.  And  white  men  were  thankful  enough  to  be  saved  by  our 
men,  and  who  could  blame  them  ?  They  were  both  in  the  field  to  as 
sist  one  another  in  every  possible  way.  I  am  not  claiming  more  for 
the  colored  troops  than  belongs  to  them ;  but  let  them  have  their 
rights.  No  just  man  will  give  them  less. 

It  was  in  the  beginning  of  December,  1864,  that  a  regular  battle 
took  place  near  Marion,  Tennessee,  for  the  destruction  of  the  Marion 
Salt  Works.  The  battle  commenced  in  the  morning,  and  fluctuated 
backwards  and  forwards  the  greater  part  of  the  day.  General  Stone- 
man,  who  commanded  the  Federals,  at  last  found  himself  badly  beaten 
by  the  Confederates,  under  General  Breckenridge.  The  national  troops 
were  in  a  desperate  condition,  and  nothing  but  destruction  stared  them 
in  the  face.  There  was  no  time  to  be  lost.  The  fate  of  the  Northern 
army  was  trembling  in  the  scales.  General  Stoneman  at  once  ordered 


HISTORICAL    ROMANCE  OF, THE   AMKIMCAN    NKUKO.  89 

up  the  black  troops,  whom  he  divided  into  three  columns.  He  placed 
General  Burbridge  at  the  head  of  one  column,  gave  another  to  Col. 
Wade,  and  the  third  tioi  General  Brisbin. 

Colonel  Wade  led  the  right  column,  General  Burbridge  the  left, 
and  General  Brisbin  the  centre.  Wade  got  off  first,  and  sailed  into  the 
rebels  in  gallant  style.  Burbridge  piled  his  overcoat  on  the  ground, 
drew  his  sword,  and  led  his  column  forward  like  lions.  Most  of  the 
officers  and  all  the  men  were  on  foot.  Wade's  horse  was  soon  shot, 
after  which  he  led  his  men  on  foot,  and  they  were  the  first  to  strike 
the  Confederate  line,  who  fired  time  after  time,  but  Wade's  column 
advanced  rapidly  for  a  hand-to-hand  fight  with  the  rebels.  They  went 
through  the  Confederate  lines  like  an  iron  wedge,  when  the  enemy 
broke,  turned  and  ran.  Burbridge  hit  with  all  his  might  on  the  left,, 
and  Brisbin's  men  in  the  centre  also  covered  themselves  with  glory. 
Men  never  did  better  in  this  world.  When  their  guns  were  empty,  they 
clubbed  their  foes  with  the  butt  ends,  many  of  the  latter  jumping 
fully  fifteen  feet  down  the  'opposite  side  of  the  hill  to  get  out  of  the 
way  of  our  infuriated  men !  The  night  was  now  coming  oin !  Sauve 
qui  pent!  The  rebels  fled  in  the  darkness,  and  ultimately  took  the 
North  Carolina  road,  fleeing  over  the  mountains.  Thus  ended  the 
grand  struggle  for  the  salt  works  at  Marion,  Tennessee.  Our  troops 
now  advanced,  nor  stopped  till  their  destruction  was  complete. 

We  all  know  that  it  must  go  very  hard,  indeed,  with  any  people 
when  they  have  got  no  salt.  Poor  things !  What  could  they  do  with 
out  salt?  So  these  coveted  salt  works  at  Marion  were  destroyed  by 
the  Union  army,  but'niot  till  the  army  had  been  first  rescued  from  de 
struction  by  the  colored  troops  who  were  attached  to  the  service  there. 

I  don't  know  how  it  happened,  but  somehow  or  other  the  North 
ern  generals  had  a  great  deal  of  confidence  in  colored  men,  whom 
they  often  put  aside,  and  held  in  reserve  in  case  of  the  direst  necessity 
in  the  end,  and  when  the  worst  might  come  to  the  worst.  It  was  then 
that  our  faithful  fellows  were  called  forwards  to  save  the  armies,  and 
they  saved  them,  too,  standing  like  walls  of  adamant  between  the  white 
Unionists  and  their  terrible  foes.  Our  brave  boys  often  did  as  well 
elsewhere  as  they  did  at  Marion. 

It  used  to  be  the  grand  hue  and  cry  in  the  beginning  of  the  war 
that  if  colored  men  were  enlisted  into  the  armies  of  the  Union,  they 


<)0  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

would  not  fight  like  their  white  brothers !  Even  we  ladies,  who  surely 
were  never  intended  to  fight  in  the  ranks — we  ladies  living  far  away  up 
in  the  North  at  Buffalo,  used  to  laugh  at  the  whole  thing  as  a  joke, 
lor  certainly  everybody  knew  better.  But  that  miserable  parrot  cry 
ceased  after  a  while,  and  was  no  more  heard  of. 

Another  'grievance  in  the  beginning  of  the  enlistment  of  colored 
troops  was  to  offer  them  smaller  pay  than  white  men.  Some  of  our 
regiments  absolutely  refused  to  take  less ;  others  took  what  was  of 
fered.  But  as  a  general  thing,  between  Congress  and  the  States  them- 
sslres,  all  things  were  put  right  at  last,  and  justice  was  done  by  mak 
ing  things  about  even.  But  whether  right  or  wrong  the  troops  never 
refused  to  do  their  duty.  It  certainly  was  a  shameful  and  shabby  affair 
to  offer  them  less,  because  many  of  them  certainly  were  superior  to 
their  white  brothers  in  the  field.  The  color  of  the  skin  was  a  poor, 
miserable  reason  for  giving  them  less. 

General  T.  J.  Morgan  gives  a  long  and  brilliant  account  of  his 
connection  with  several  colored  regiments  in  the  Department  of  Cum 
berland.  He  is  also  very  jokey,  and  furnished  us  with  a  great  many 
amusing  anecdotes,  which  he  loves  to  relate.  He  gives  us  some  very 
good  sketches  of  the  Battle  of  Nashville,  Tennessee,  which  occupied 
two  days,  in  the  middle  of  December,  1864.  A  thaw  had  set  in ;  the 
ice  and  cold  had  given  way,  and  General  George  T.  Thomas  now  took 
advantage  of  the  opportunity  that  presented  itself  to  compel  the  rebel 
General  Hood  to  raise  the  siege  of  Nashville.  It  was  decided  that 
General  Morgan  and  his  colored  regiments  should  begin  the  attack  on 
the  Union  left  as  soon  as  they  could  see  their  way  in  the  dawn  of  that 
December  morning.  After  an  early  breakfast,  Morgan  and  his  men 
advanced  upon  the  rebel  right  with  unbounded  enthusiasm,  and  struck 
it  with  all  their  might.  Their  attacks  were  simply  irresistible,  and  al 
though  the  Southerners  fought  with  their  accustomed  stubbornness 
and  bravery  they  had  to  give  way.  General  Hood  was  under  the  im 
pression  that  this  attack  upon  his  left  was  to  be  the  grand  attack  of  the 
day's  battle,  but  it  was  a  feint  to  draw  off  his  men  from  his  right,  where 
General  Thomas  struck  him  with  awful  force,  doubled  him  up,  and 
forced  the  whole  rebel  army,  right,  left  and  cenlre,  to  retreat  for  the 
space  of  two  miles.  Thus  the  first  day's  battle  (which  the  colored 
troops  began)  was  a  complete  success  along  the  whole  line,  although 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  91 

we  lost  many  a  brave  man.  General  Hood  made  haste  to  fortify  him 
self,  and  threw  up  intrenchments  on  his  line  of  battle — in  short,  he 
did  everything  that  a  prudent  general  upon  the  defensive  could  do. 
But  the  white  and  colored  troops  followed  up  their  success  by  attack 
ing  his  forces  with  unwonted  vigor  and  enthusiasm  on  the  morning  of 
the  second  day.  The  Southerners  not  being  gods,  nor  made  even  of 
iron,  now  turned  and  fled.  A  general  pursuit  of  the  rebels  at  once  be 
gan  ;  colored  and  white  alike  pressed  on  like  hounds  behind  the  hares. 
We  followed  them  all  the  way  to  Franklin,  Tennessee,  followed  them 
day  and  night,  and  traversed  hundreds  of  miles,  with  mud  and  rains. 
The  roads  were  in  a  dreadful  condition.  Many  of  our  brave  men  lost 
their  shoes  in  the  deep  and  sticky  mud,  but  still  kept  on,  though  their 
feet  were  cold,  and  bled  into  the  bargain.  At  night  they  would  take 
down  fence-rails  and  such  like  to  make  fires  to  keep  themselves  warm. 
General  Hood  fled  away,  and  returned  no  more.  The  Confederacy 
was  now  beginning  to  shake  in  every  limb  of  its  body.  The  North  de 
termined  to  hold  on.  Thus  our  own  200,000  colored  men  contributed 
to  the  grand  result.  As  the  songs  of  the  day  said,  "The  colored  troops 
fought  bravely!" 

About  the  2Oth  of  April,  1864,  after  I  had  given  the  children  their 
breakfast,  and  sent  them  to  school,  the  letter-carrier  came  up  the 
steps  with  another  missive  from  my  own  dear  Tom,  and  just  as  I  had 
opened  it  to  begin  to  read  it,  whoi  came  into  the  room  but  dear  mother  T 
So  to  work  we  went  and  read  the  letter  together : 

NEW  ORLEANS,  April,   1864. 
Mrs.  Beulah  Lincoln, 

My  Dear  Beulah: — With  great  pleasure  I  sit  down  to  answer  all  the 
delightful  letters  I  have  received  from  yourself  a»nd  'the  girls.  Your  let 
ters  have  been  a  very  great  joy  to  me  indeed  all  the  time  I  have  been  in  the 
hospital.  They  have  actually  helped  me  to  mend  by  keeping  up  my  spirits! 
At,teiasit  thait  is  what  the  doctors  and  nurses  say,  who  have  read  some  of 
your  letters,  and  they  liked  them  so  much.  They  were  greatly  delighted 
over  your  letters  on  your  trip  to  Canada!  If  it  had  not  been  for  my  wound, 
my  residence  at  this  beautiful  hospital  in  the  Sunny  Souith  would  have  been 
almost  as  great  a  treat  to  me  as  the  montth  you  and  the  girls  spent  at  Rich 
mond  H)ill.  Because  here  comes  neither  frost  nor  snow,  and  the  sun  is 
always  bright  aind  genial,  and  the  flowers  scent  the  air  all  the  year  round, 
and  the  winds  come  through  the  open  windows  just  laden  with  their  fra- 


92  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

grance.  But,  thank  God,  I  shall  soon  be  well  now,  and  then  I  will  go  buck 
to  the  war  if  it  is  not  all  over  by  the  time  I  receive  my  discharge  from  this 
gcod  hospital.  If  the  war  is  not  over  then,  I  will  go  back  to  the  field;  but, 
if  it  is  all  over,  then  I  am  likely  to  get  my  discharge  from  the  army  and 
come  home.  I  have  taken  "notes"  of  all  the  active  operations  in  which  I 
was  engaged  in  the  field  up  to  (the  time  I  was  wounded;  and  I  think  I  will 
write  and  publish  a  book  when  I  come  home!  All  the  events,  let  things 
be  going  as  they  may,  I  am  sure  thiatt  they  are  going  ten  times  better  now 
that  our  glorious  Grant  has  got  the  chief  command  over  all  the  armies  in 
the  field  throughout  the  far-extended  seat  iof  war  in  the  South.  Before 
he  took  command  even  a  child  could  see  how  our  own  Northern  generals 
and  colonels  themselves  wrangled,  and  were  jealous  of  one  another,  and  car 
ried  on.  It  always  appeared  to  me  that  before  Grant  (took  command  they 
wasted  as  much  strength  and  national  resources  as  ithe  rebels  themselves 
did!  Too  many  cooks  spoil  the  broth;  and  they  also  resembled  a  balky 
team  of  cross-grained  mules  pulling,  kicking  and  flinging  against  one  an 
other  !  Indeed  they  had  a  great  deal  to  learn,  and  that  was  how  to  agree. 
But  Grant  put  them  all  to  rights  with  a  few  shuffles  of  national  "cards." 
He  made  all  things  work  aright,  and  those  who  were  too  anxious  to  be 
bosses,  he  either  set  off  on  one  side  by  themselves,  or  else  sent  them  home 
about  their  business.  In  this  respect  the  rebels  had  been  far  wiser  than 
we  were.  They  had,  of  course,  their  quarrels  and  disagreements  also,  but 
never  to  the  same  extent  as  ourselves.  Buit  Grant  ended  all  that,  and  I 
observe  that  secession  has  been  ailing  very  much  ever  since! 

It  will  be  old  news  'to  you  to  speak  in  this  letter  about  the  late  mas 
sacre  of  white  and  colored  officers  and  soldiers  at  Fort  Pillow,  where 
General  Forrest  and  nis  men  murdered  hundreds  of  our  own  brave  fel 
lows  in  cold  blood.  I  understand  that  although  that  massacre  occurred 
only  a  few  days  ago,  so  to  spea*k,  that  the  war-cry  "Remember  Fort  Pil 
low!"  has  already  been  made  in  quite  a  number  of  the  most  recent  en 
gagements  between  colored  troops  and  rebels  on  the  seait  of  war.  The 
wholesale  murder  of  our  own  men  and  officers  at  Fort  Pillow  is  the  entire 
conversation  throughout  the  hospital,  the  city  of  New  Orleans  and  th<-  en 
tire  South.  Surely  that  .murder  was  winked  at  by  the  rebel  government 
at  Richmond.  From  the  very  first  day  when  a  rebel  was  shot  dead  by  a 
former  servant  (?)  all  the  rebels  of  the  South  together  have  been  more 
faint  at  heart  than  if  they  had  got  the  leprosy!  There  has  been  a  con 
stant  attempt  from  the  first  to  treat  colored  troops  not  as  soldiers  under 
the  United  Staites  Government,  but  ais  perfect  outlaws  or  even  as  wild  ani 
mals  themselves.  A  certain  kind  of  shudder,  a  horror, — a  something  that 
no  man)  can  describe — iseems  to  have  taken  possession  of  the  rebel  breast 
at  the  very  idea  of  letting  loose  their  former  slaves  against  their  masters! 
They  think  that  this  is  awful  indeed,  and  hold  up  their  hands  in  holy 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

horror.  And  this  horror  of  theirs  holds  good  not  only  with  regard  to  the 
colored  troops  (themselves,  but  it  is  even  more  bitter  if  possible  when  di 
rected  against  the  white  officers  who  trained  them  in  the  art  of  war,  and 
who  led  them  on  the  battlefield.  It  is  true  that  we  have  'officers  chosen 
from  among  ourselves,  but  then  we  are  all  one  army,  and  we  must  go 
slm-ivs  hand  in  hand  with  the  rest  in  the  general  conflict. 

It  was  not  only  a  great  crime  in  General  Forrest  and  his  rebels  mur 
dering  hundreds  oif  Union  men  at  Fort  Pillow,  buit  it  was  the  greatest 
blunder  they  have  yet  committed  as  they  will  themiselves  find  out  at  once. 
Inisitead  of  making  over  200,000  men  afraid  of  them,  or  deterring  them  from 
the  battle  entirely,  we  shall  only  go  into  battle  ten  times  more  eagerly 
than  befoire,  and  do  fighting  ten  times  more  valiant  than  ever.  A  shudder 
has  already  run  over  the  entire  North  that  will  do  more  to  unite  the  whole 
Union  than  if  we  had  gained  one  of  the  greatest  victories  of  war.  The 
Southern  policy  from  Jeff.  Davis  downwards  is  to  ignore  us  completely 
as  men,  and  to  treat  us  as  "goods  and  chattels"  still.  Jeff,  even  issued  a 
proclamation  against  Benjamin  F.  Butler,  at  New  Orleans,  treating  him  as 
an  outlaw  for  organizing  regiments  of  colored  troops,  or,  in  fact,  for  press 
ing  their  former  slaves  into  the  war  in  any  shape  and  form.  At  the  same 
time,  they  themselves  have  made  use  of  their  slaves  to  throw  up  breast 
works,  and  to  do  all  kinds  of  labor,  almost  from  the  hour  when  they  them 
selves  at  first  rebelled.  Their  theory  is  that  they  have  a  perfect  right 
to  use  their  slaves  to  fight  against  the  Union,  and  we,  who  own  the  whole 
nation  must  not  indeed  even  touch  them  with  our  little  fingers!  This  will 
never  do,  because  it  is  a  game  that  two  of  us  at  least  cannot  play  at. 

It  will  never  be  known  until  the  great  Day  of  Judgment  what  became 
of  all  the  colored  soldiers  who  fell  into  the  hiasnds  of  the  (rebels.  It  is  true 
that  the  rebel  authorities  directed  them  to  be  'handed  over  to  the  States 
to  which  they  belonged  to  be  dealt  with  by  the  civil  lawis  of  those  States, 
out  even  this  is  a  subject  upon  which  I  can  obtain  no  information  whatever. 
I  can  only  say  that  their  path  iis  unknown,  aind  they  have  never  been  seen 
alive  after  their  capture.  Of  other  things  we  are  more  certain.  The  South 
ern  soldiers  have  been  seen  killing  their  colored  prisoners  on  the  battle 
field, — killing  them  in  hospitals,  and  in  many  ways  awarding  to  them  the 
treatment  we  would  give  to  any  wild  animal  that  we  shot  at  a  hunt.  From 
the  very  first  the  rebels  at  Richmond  have  refused  to  exchange  colored 
prisoners  like  white  prisoners  of  war.  They  have  never  even  exchanged  a 
single  man!  There  is  an,  old  saying  that  those  whom  the  gods  intend  to 
destroy,  they  first  make  mad,  that  dis  insane.  We  do  not  thank  the  rebel 
crew  for  attempting  to  treat  us  as  outlaws  and  wild  beasts,  but  we  will 
do  one  thing  for  them  for  all  this, — >we  will  now  assist  in  pulling  down  their 
Confederacy  far  faster  than  we  have  done  before. 

As  to  the  murder  at  Fort  Pillow,  the  whole   thing  was,   of  course, 


94  HISTOKIGAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN   NKdRO. 

a  put  up  job.  After  fighting  all  the  morning,  and  finding  !ten  times  more 
trouble  to  get  into  the  fort  than  they  ever  expected,  at  1  P.  M.  they  sent 
in  a  flag  o-f  truce.  But  whilst  they  pretended  to  be  parleying  round  that. 
flag  of  truce,  the  refbels  rapidly  and  quieitly  pushed  their  men  up  on  the 
sides  of  the  fort,  which  was  contrary  to  the  laws  of  war,  and  then  breaking 
off  the  truce  made  a  sudden  rush  into  the  fort  and  took  it.  Then  we  sur 
rendered,  but  the  re'bels  would  not  receive  our  surrender,  and  their  massa 
cre  began.  They  shot  down  and  killed  our  officers  and  men  in  every  pos 
sible  way  after  they  had  given  up  their  weapons  of  war.  General  Forrest 
and  other  rebel  commanders  were  there  land  allowed  the  carnage  to  go 
on  that  afternoon  'and  next  morning.  The  rebels  took  our  men,  nailed 
some  of  them  ito  the  floors  of  old  wooden  buildings  to  which  they  next  set 
fire,  and  thus  burned  them  while  yet  alive.  Then  they  called  out  others, 
one  by  one,  and  shot  them  as  fast  as  they  appeared.  One  of  the  principal 
white  officers  was  murdered  on  the  road  as  the  rebels  were  marching  away 
from  the  fort, —  at  least  he  neiyer  ca/me  through  alive.  No  doubt  that  Con 
gress  will  (appoint  a  commission  of  inquiry  at  once,  and  make  a  complete 
examinationi  of  the  whole  affair,  and  the  entire  truth  will  be  established 
from  the  mouths  of  those  white  and  black  soldiers  who  escaped.  In  the 
meantime,  we  have  facts  enough  at  hand  to  put  all  the  above  beyond  the 
shadow  of  a  doubt.  It  was  horrible. 

My  dear  Beulah,  I  had  much  more  to  write  to  you  about,  but  the 
doctors  will  be  here  in  a  quairter  of  an  hour,  and  as  I  wish  you  to  receive 
my  letter  without  delay,  I  will  now  draw  it  to  a  hurried  end,  and  leave  the 
balance  for  my  next  epistle.  In  the  meantime,  my  dear  Beulah,  keep  the 
girls  steady  at  school,  for  after  good  religion,  I  think  that  good  education 
(put  to  good  use)  is  (the  grandest  ornament  in*  the  world,  and  in  a  woman 
I  think  it  looks  splendid.  Also  give  all  my  love  to  Mir.  and  Mrs.  John  P.. 
Sutherland,  and  give  them  a  reading  of  this  letter — and  let  our  children 
read  it  too,  by  all  means.  I  jujst  feel,  my  dear,  as  if  I  could  go  on  writ! n»- 
to  you  for  a  month, — you  are  such  a  comfoirt!  But,  good-by,  God  bless 
you!  Ta-ta!  Your  thrice  loving 

TOM. 

My  indulgent  and  kind  readers,  I  would  be  glad  if  I  could  draw 
down  the  veil  upon  the  disasters  and  defeats  we  met  with  from  the 
hands  of  the  rebels  whilst  our  brave  men  were  battling  for  freedom, 
and  the  reunion  of  all  the  States.  But,  alas,  alas !  that  would  never  do, 
and  I  must  tell  the  whole  truth  on  both  sides.  We  had  our  victories 
in  plenty,  and  there  was  a  general  caving-in  of  Secessia  going  on  con 
tinually,  but  O  dear  me !  what  drawbacks  and  disasters  there  are  for 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  95 

the  historian  to  tell!     The  whole  nation  was  still  smarting  from  our 
signal  defeat  at  Olustee,  Fla.,  when  the  butchery  at  Fort  Pillow  fell 
upon  us  like  a  thunderstorm  in  summer.     I  can't  tell  which  was  the 
worst  in  its  way — our  complete  defeat,  our  flight  and  almost  total  an 
nihilation  at  Olustee,  or  the  barbarous  murders  at  Fort  Pillow.    Our 
defeat  at  Olustee  took  place  on  the  2Oth  of  February,  1864.    We  must, 
in  the  first  place,  thank  our  General  Gillmore  for  disobeying  orders, 
and  leading  his  black  and  white  troops  into  that  perfect  trap  which 
the  rebels  had  prepared  for  us  among  the  forest  trees  at  Olustee.    They 
had  their  masked  batteries,  and  all  their  perfect  preparations  of  war 
completely  concealed  from  us  till  we  were  right  inside  the  very  trap 
itself,  and  then  General  Gillmore,  instead  of  drawing  back  his  forces 
and  forming  them  into  a  regular  line  of  battle,  wildly  rushed  one  regi 
ment  after  another  into  the  powerful  rebel  position  that  lay  concealed 
between  two  swamps,  where  our  poor  fellows  were  just  mown  down 
like  grass  before  the  scythe.     When  eight  hundred  colored  soldiers 
and  six  hundred  white  ones  had  thus  been  placed  hors  de  combat,  we 
turned  and  fled  for  Jacksonville,  and  all  along  the  way  the  rebels  fol 
lowed  up  our  retreat,  and  all  the  fugitives  alike  shared  the  disasters  of 
a  defeat,  which  was  most  complete  in  every  part.    The  exultation  at 
the  South,  of  course,  was  as  great  as  our  depression  of  spirits  at  the 
Xorth,  for  it  was  another  Braddock's  defeat  over  again ;  but  then  war 
is  as  much  of  a  game  as  a  game  of  cards,  or  a  game  at  the  checker 
board.    Thus  one  was  in  joy  whilst  the  other  was  in  grief;  in  the  same 
way  the  dark  night  follows  the  bright  day,  and  sunshine  gives  way  to 
shadow.     It  is  the  self-same  with  the  individual  as  with  the  nation. 
Which  one  of  us  has  not  had  a  grand  day  of  triumph,  as  well  as  his 
night  of  misfortune  and  distress  ?    What  proportion  our  defeats  bore 
to  our  victories  I  am  at  this  time  unable  to  say ;  but  I  know  they  were 
a  very  high  percentage  of  the  whole,  as  we  found  out  to  our  cost.     It 
is  not  my  intention  to  open  up  the  whole  question,  but  there  is  at  least 
one  horror  that  I  must  mention  besides  actual  conflict  on  the  battle 
field,  which  is,  that  the  nation  lost  about  80,000  men  that  were  starved 
to  death  (I  might  almost  say)  or  perished  through  misusage  and  ne 
glect,  and  the  want  of  all  comforts  in  the  Southern  prisons,  at  Rich 
mond,  Andersonville  and  elsewhere.    Whilst  we  were  fattening  their 
men  in  our  Northern  cities,  and  exchanging  them  as  prisoners  of  war, 


96  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

so  they  might  take  the  field  against  us  once  more,  our  poor  fellows, 
who  were  merely  skin  and  bone,  were  returned  to  us  only  to  remain 
mental  and  bodily  wrecks  on  our  hands  the  rest  of  their  days.  Few 
of  them,  indeed,  were  ever  found  fit  to  go  back  to  the  field  again. 
Thus  80,000  men,  some  at  least  of  whom  were  colored,  died  in  the 
South  from  want  of  sufficient  food,  from  cold  in  the  winters,  and  almost 
every  other  conceivable  and  bad  reason,  such  as  the  want  of  medicine, 
proper  nursing  and  attention  during  sickness,  and  so  forth.  No  won 
der,  then,  that  our  people  used  to  associate  the  murders  at  Fort  Pil 
low  and  the  deaths  in  the  Southern  prisons  together. 

We  also  met  with  a  great  defeat  at  the  explosion  of  the  mine  at 
Petersburg,  on  the  3Oth  of  July,  1864.  That  turned  out  one  of  the 
greatest  blunders  and  most  bungled  affairs  of  the  whole  war.  It  was 
decided  that  the  colored  troops  should  lead  the  charge  into'  Peters 
burg  after  the  explosion  had  cleared  the  way  for  the  advance  and  at 
tack.  Then  a  general,  who  ranked  higher,  in  a  spirit  of  jealousy 
countermanded  the  first  and  best  arrangements,  and  ordered  his  white 
troops  to  lead  the  advance.  Then  the  mine  itself  did  not  explode  until 
some  hours  after  the  appointed  time.  When  the  explosion  came  the 
advance  and  attack  were  so  bungled  that  the  whole  affair  turned  out  a 
complete  failure.  The  attacking  troops  were  also  caught  inside  the 
crater  in  a  perfect  trap,  and  the  colored  troops  who  were  sent  in  to 
their  aid,  fared  no  better.  In  fact,  at  last  there  was  neither  advance  n»r 
retreat  for  any  one,  and  things  were  even  worse  than  at  Olustee,  and 
all  had  to  surrender  in  a  body,  prisoners  of  war.  Thus  all  our  labors 
were  thrown  away  at  Petersburg  on  that  fatal  morning,  through  jeal 
ousy  and  every  kind  of  bungling  and  mismanagement.  General  Grant 
has  recorded  it  in  his  life,  that  if  the  first  arrangements  had  been  car 
ried  out,  they  would  no  doubt  have  succeeded  in  capturing  the  city. 

But  such  are  jealousy  and  ignorance !  These  were  the  two  grand 
causes  of  the  disaster  of  the  Union  armies  during  the  first  half  of  the 
war,  and  all  these  misfortunes  happened  in  the  face  of  an  ever- watch 
ful  and  desperate  enemy,  who  had  staked  everything  on  the  issue — life, 
fortune  and  all — an  enemy  fighting  with  all  his  might  for  the  institution 
of  slavery,  and  for  the  control  of  his  own  land  and  government  with 
out  interference  from  Uncle  Sam.  But  so  it  has  ever  been  with  all 
wars  that  the  historian  has  ever  recorded.  Nations  have  their  dark 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  T11K  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  97 

days  as  well  as  their  bright  ones.     And  if  we  had  great  and  crowning 
victories,  we  also  had  our  defeats  and  dark  days. 

Before  my  dear  Tom  got  wounded,  and  was  taken  to  the  hospital 
at  New  Orleans,  I  received  a  letter  from  him  describing  a  march  his 
regiment  had  down  the  banks  of  a  beautiful  river  in  Mississippi,  after 
which  they  came  upon  the  boundaries  of  one  of  those  grand  mansions 
that  I  alluded  to  before  as  almost  excelling  the  princely  palaces  of  the 
grandees  of  Europe.  We  used  to  think  Riverside  Hall  something 
(continues  my  dear  letter-writer),  but  Riverside  Hall  was  nothing  to 
Belmont,  as  this  place  was  called.  The  family  had  all  left,  and  there 
was  nobody  in  and  about  the  princely  place.  No  wonder  that  the 
slave-holder  had  grown  rich !  With  a  thousand  people  to;  work  for 
them  for  nothing,  and  themselves  pocketing  the  entire  proceeds  of 
their  labors  and  toils,  all  they  had  to  do  was  to  bank  their  money,  and 
lay  it  out  in  eating  and  drinking  and  riotous  living,  as  the  Bible  tells 
us.  No  wonder  that  they  had  pleasant  trees  and  shrubbery,  and  fine 
streams  gliding  through  the  park  here,  the  smooth  lawns  reminding 
one  of  the  garden  of  Eden  before  the  fall  of  our  first  parents.  No 
wonder  that  they  had  grand  statuary  all  along  their  graveled  walks, 
along  which  fine  carriages  and  lordly  companies  on  foot  glided  along 
their  sunny  way  in  the  palmy  days  of  slavery,  now  departed  to  return 
nevermore!  In  the  Sunny  South  this  day,  we  marched  down  the 
banks  of  one  of  the  sweetest  rivers  I  have  seen  in  the  State  of  Miss 
issippi.  I  have  written  a  few  verses  on  the  subject ;  written  them  on  a 
marble  table  in  the  interior  of  splendid  Belmont,  a  mansion,  which  for 
glory  and  for  beauty,  it  would  dazzle  your  eyes  to  look  upon.  Here 
are  the  lines  I  composed: 

UPON  THE  SOUTHERN  RIVER! 
Across  the  bridge  we  made  our  way, 
The  dancing-  waves  sang*  loud  and  gay, 
And  warm  and  bright  the  sunbeams  lay, 

Upon  the  Southern  River! 
And  countless  birds  sang  in  the  trees, 
i    •  Our  banners  fluttered  in  the  breeze, 

All  eyes  were  charmed  midst  scenes  like  these, 

All  down  the  Southern  River! 
Our  hearts  were  light,  our  bands  did  play 
Upon  that  glorious  sunny  day. 


98  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

BESIDE  THE  SOUTHERN  RIVER! 

"The  Sunny  South!— The  Sunny  South!" 
These  words  were  ever  in  each  mouth, 

Suggesting  things  of  love  and  youth 
Along  the  Southern  River. 

And  tstill  we  marched,  and  laughed  and  sang 
And  down  the  flowery  banks  we  sprang, 

The  wild  woods  with  the  echoes  rang 
All  down  the  Southern  River! 

Until  we  came  to  "Belmont"  grand, — 

The  finest  mansion  in  the  land, 
That  on  the  rising  ground  does  stand 

Beside  the  Southern  River! 

Thus  my  Tom  wrote  about  the  Southern  river  and  the  Sunny 
South.  After  this  I  never  wondered  more  why  the  slave-holders 
fought  so  hard  to  gain  their  independence.  No  wonder,  when  they 
fought  for  "Belmont,"  etc. ! 


CHAPTER  IX. 

The  Colored  Men  of  Iowa — Hard  Fight  Near  White  River — The  Men 
of  Kansas — Enthusiasm  for  the  War — Fight  at  Butler — Battle  of 
Cabin  Creek — Battle  of  Honey  Springs — The  Battle  of  Poison 
Springs — Battle  at  the  Sabine  River — Battle  of  Boykin's  Mill  with 
Poem — Incidents  of  the  War. 

I  have  said  nothing  yet  about  the  far  western  frontier,  and  the 
enlistments  that  took  place  far  away  between  the  Mississippi  river  and 
the  Rocky  Mountains.  There  were  not  many  colored  people  in  those 
States  and  territories  at  that  time,  but  the  few  who  were  there  acted 
with  the  greatest  enthusiasm,  and  came  joyously  up  to  the  rescue  of 
the  Union  and  liberty.  Although  all  colored  men  were  free  in  those 
parts,  they  most  willingly  laid  down  the  plough  and  other  implements 
of  husbandry,  left  their  sweethearts,  their  wives  and  families,  and  all 
that  they  held  dearest,  with  wonderful  zeal  and  alacrity,  and  marched 
to  the  field  even  with  the  utmost  joy,  "to  help  of  the  Lord  against 
the  mighty."  Of  course  the  Western  frontier  was  not  the  only  part 
of  the  Union  where  such  devotion  for  the  Union  and  liberty  was 
shown.  It  was  the  very  same  everywhere.  Even  in  the  old  slave 
States,  when  the  recruiting  sergeants  came  along,  and  asked  the  slaves 
if  they  would  like  to  go  to  the  war  and  fight  for  Uncle  Sam,  to  a  man 
they  answered  yes.  Thus  the  recruiting  went  rapidly  on  wherever  col 
ored  volunteers  could  be  found.  Poor  Uncle  Sam  was  in  great  need 
of  men,  and  these  brave  recruits  were  gathered  together  at  places  ap 
pointed  for  drill,  in  all  the  various  branches  of  the  art  of  war,  and 
they  learned  with  great  willingness  and  with  great  rapidity  also.  With 
so  much  enthusiasm  and  fire,  is  it  any  wonder  that  colored  troops  did 
so  well  in  the  war,  and  with  their  strong,  brawny,  willing  arms  so 
mightily  helped  to  knock  down  the  South  ?  It  is  no  wonder  at  all ! 

Yes,  poor  Uncle  Sam  was  in  great  need  of  assistance  about  the 
time  of  Lincoln's  proclamation  of  freedom,  for  these  terrible  and  clever 
rebels  had  not  only  destroyed  our  white  troops  by  tens  of  thousands, 
but  they  had  at  the  same  time  thinned  out  some  thousands  of  the  black 


100  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMKlilCAN   NEGRO. 

soldiers  also.  Lincoln  kept  calling  for  more  troops,  for  a  very  great 
many  more,  indeed,  and  black  and  white  men  came  up  to  the  national 
call  like  heroes. 

It  was  not  until  August,  1863,  when  the  men  of  Iowa  arose,  hur 
ried  through  their  drill,  and  marched  to  the  front.  They  gathered  at 
first  at  St.  Louis,  where  Mrs.  I.  N.  Triplet  presented  one  of  the  regi 
ments  with  a  beautiful  silk  national  flag,  on  behalf  of  the  ladies  of 
Iowa,  and  of  the  city  of  Muscatine.  That  beautiful  flag  was  carried  all 
through  the  war,  and  was  brought  home  again  to  Iowa,  in  the  midst  of 
great  congratulations. 

In  January,  1864,  this  regiment  was  ordered  to  report  to  Helena, 
Arkansas,  and  lent  a  hand  in  a  number  of  small  engagements,  where 
they  took  numbers  of  prisoners.  But  the  most  serious  fight  in  which 
they  were  engaged  took  place  in  the  following  July,  near  the  White 
river,  where  they  attacked  a  force  of  the  rebels  twice  as  numerous  as 
themselves.  This  fight  was  most  desperate,  though  the  rebels  lost 
three  men  to  our  one.  Most  of  our  own  officers  were  killed  or  wound 
ed  ;  night  was  coming  on  apace,  and  still  we  held  out — yea !  fought  like 
lions  hour  after  hour.  At  last  a  body  of  white  Union  soldiers  coming 
to  our  aid,  burst  through  the  rebel  ranks  with  loud  cheering,  and  our 
poor  fellows,  who  were  so  hard  pressed,  cheered  loudly  in  return.  Still 
the  arrival  of  these  reenforcements  did  not  turn  the  battle  into  a 
Union  victory,  but  they  enabled  us  to  retreat  from  the  field  in  good 
order.  Later  on.in  the  day,  more  colored  reenforcements  from  Helena 
arrived,  but  too  late  to  make  any  changes  in  the  situation.  It  was  well 
for  us,  however,  to  save  all  the  men  we  could,  because  the  rebel  soldiers 
and  the  rebel  population  on  these  western  States  and  territories  seldom 
missed  an  opportunity  to  murder  every  colored  soldier  who  fell  alive 
into  their  hands.  Still  we  cared  nothing  for  their  "black  flag,"  but 
fought  ten  times  harder  than  before,  and  thus  we  helped  on  the  down 
fall  of  slavery ! 

The  State  of  Kansas  was  the  very  first  State  in  the  entire  Union 
to  make  a  commencement  in  recruiting  and  drilling  regiments  of 
colored  men  to  put  down  the  great  rebellion.  Kansas  was  only  ad 
mitted  into  the  Union  as  a  free  State  on  the  29th  of  January,  1861.  It 
was  her  admission  as  such  that  transferred  the  slave-holder's  rebellion 
from  Kansas  to  South  Carolina,  and  the  other  seceding  States.  In 


HISTORICAL    IIOMANCK  OF  TIIK   AMKIMCAX  NEGRO.  101 

•other  words,  the  rebellion  began  in  Kansas,  and  the  scene  was  simply 
shifted  upon  Lincoln's  election.  But  the  Republican  men  of  Kansas 
.arose  with  unbounded  alacrity  and  enthusiasm,  and  in  a  short  time  had 
20,000  men  in  the  field,  some  of  whom  were  regiments  of  colored  men, 
wlii.)  did  yeoman's  service  in  the  West.  And  not  only  in  Kansas,  but 
in  every  other  section  of  the  Union,  colored  men  showed  a  great  deal 
of  principle  in  the  way  in  which  they  came  up  to  the  rescue  of  the 
nation ;  came  up  with  horse,  foot  and  artillery !  As  Deborah  says  in 
her  song  of  victory  (Judges,  5  chapter,  verse  18) :  "Lebulon  and  Nap- 
thali  were  a  people  that  jeopardized  their  lives  unto  the  death  in  the 
high  place  of  the  field."  The  first  fight  in  which  the  colored  troops  of 
Kansas  were  engaged  took  place  near  Butler.  There  were  about  two 
hundred  and  twenty-five  men  in  all,  and  they  were  attacked  by  about 
five  hundred  Confederates.  This  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  very 
first  engagement  in  the  war  between  colored  soldiers  and  the  rebels, 
and  the  rebels  were  defeated  with  considerable  loss.  The  date  of  the 
engagement  was  the  28th  of  October,  1862.  The  next  morning  a  few 
recruits  came  up  and  joined  their  comrades  in  the  pursuit  of  the  seces 
sionists,  but  failed  to  overtake  them.  The  work  of  recruiting,  drilling 
and  disciplining  the  regiments  still  went  on,  till  at  last  they  were  so 
-efficient  in  the  various  arms  of  the  service  that  they  were  second  to 
none.  Soon  after  this  a  foraging  party  of  forty-five  of  our  men  were 
attacked  by  three  hundred  Confederates,  and  half  of  them  killed  or 
captured  in  a  short  time. 

This  regiment,  which  was  lead  by  the  gallant  Colonel  Williams, 
remained  in  camp  at  Baxter  Springs  till  the  27th  of  June,  1863,  when 
it  marched  for  Fort  Gibson,  in  connection  with  a  large  supply  train  from 
Fort  Scott  en  route  to  the  former  place.  The  Colonel  was  led  to  be 
lieve  that  they  would  be  attacked  in  the  neighborhood  of  Cabin  Creek. 
He  made  haste,  and  gathered  all  his  men  together,  about  eight  hun 
dred  in  all.  Upon  arriving  at  Cabin  Creek  the  rebels  in  great  force 
under  General  Cooper  met  him  there,  but  our  men  were  unable  to- 
cross  the  stream  on  account  of  a  shower  of  rain,  which  had  swollen  its 
waters  too  high  for  infantry  to  get  over..  When  the  morning  came, 
by  the  aid  of  those  who  had  come  up  in  the  night,  the  whole  effective 
force  was  now  raised  to  1,200  men,  which  embraced  some  cavalry,  a 
few  Indians,  and  four  pieces  of  artillery.  Being  well  lead  on  by  their 


102  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN   NEGRO. 

officers,  these  1,200  men  made  a  most  heroic  attack  on  the  vastly-su 
perior  rebel  force,  and  after  two  hours'  hard  fighting,  vanquished  them 
completely,  killing  and  wounding  one  hundred  men,  and  taking  eight 
prisoners.  We  had  eight  killed  and  twenty-five  wounded  on  our  side. 
The  road  was  now  open,  and  our  men  proceeded  with  the  train  to  Fort 
Gibson,  where  they  arrived  on  the  5th  of  July,  1863. 

It  was  on  the  morning  of  the  I7th  of  July  when  our  small  force 
under  command  of  General  Blunt,  left  Fort  Gibson,  and  moved  upon 
the  enemy,  6,000  strong,  whio^  were  commanded  by  General  Cooper . 
We  found  the  latter  encamped  at  Honey  Springs,  twenty  miles  south 
of  Fort  Gibson.  After  a  desperate  combat  of  two  hours,  the  rebels 
were  totally  defeated  with  a  loss  of  four  hundred  men  killed  and  wound 
ed,  and  one  hundred  prisoners.  After  this  the  Kansas  City  troops  re 
turned  to  Fort  Gibson,  where  they  remained  till  September,  when  the} 
moved  out  again  against  General  Cooper  and  his  forces,  who  fled  at 
their  approach.  We  followed  them  for  one  hundred  miles,  but  as  they 
still  continued  to  keep  ahead  of  us,  we  returned  and  encamped  at  Fort 
Davis,  a  former  Confederate  fort  on  the  Arkansas  River. 

The  troops  marched  and  countermarched  till  the  month  of  March. 
1864,  when  they  joined  Union  General  Steele's  forces,  and  marched 
against  the  enemy,  who  were  posted  on  the  west  side  of  Prairie  d'Aune, 
within  twenty-five  miles  of  Washington.  As  we  came  up,  the  enemy 
fled  before  us,  and  we  occupied  their  works  without  having  to  fight 
for  them !  Indeed,  a  good  deal  of  the  warfare  on  the  western  frontier 
was  nothing  but  marching  and  countermarching ;  coming  to  blows 
now  and  then,  in  which  we  were  mainly  successful,  for  the  rebels  often 
preferred  to  fly  before  us ! 

It  was  curious  to  note  at  the  time  how  what  appeared  to  be  very 
frivolous  circumstances  led  to  pitched  battles  and  the  most  serious 
results.  Letters  from  newspaper  correspondents,  and  private  letters 
as  well,  made  this  quite  clear.  Private  letters  to  friends  were  often 
more  clear  and  explicit  than  the  more  general  and  profuse  war  cor 
respondence. 

Col.  Williams  informs  us  that  he  arrived  at  Camden  on  the  i6th 
of  April,  1864,  but  on  the  following  day,  the  I7th,  started  with  five 
hundred  men  of  the  First  Colorado,  two  hundred  cavalry  detailed  from 
the  Second,  Sixth  and  Fourteenth  Kansas  regiments,  and  one  section 


HISTOEICAL  KOMANCE  OF  THE  AMEKICAN  NEGRO.  103 

o(  the  Second  Indiana  Battery,  with  a  train  for  the  purpose  of  loading- 
forage  and  provisions  at  a  point  twenty  miles  west  of  Camden,  on  the 
Washington  road.  On  the  i7th  he  reached  the  place,  and  succeeded 
in  loading  about  two-thirds  of  his  train,  which  consisted  of  two  hun 
dred  wagons;  the  rest  of  the  wagons  were  loaded  next  morning  as 
they  passed  along.  At  a  point  fourteen  miles  west  of  Camden,  the 
advance  encountered  a  small  force  of  the  enemy,  who  retreated  down 
the  road  after  some  slight  skirmishing,  but  did  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
convince  the  Colonel  that  it  was  a  mere  feint  to  cover  other  move 
ments,  or  else  to  draw  his  command  into  ambush,  as  had  already  been 
done  at  Olustee,  in  Florida.  The  troops  advanced  with  caution  for 
about  a  mile  and  a-half  to  a  place  called  Poison  Springs,  and  here  they 
came  upon  the  skirmish  lines  of  the  enemy  in  a  thickly-timbered  re 
gion.  Our  troops  drove  in  their  skirmish  lines,  and  discovered  that  the 
rebels  were  there  in  force.  Indeed  it  was  ascertained  afterwards  that 
there  were  about  ten  thousand  of  them,  and  their  intention  seemed  to 
have  been  to  eat  us  all  up  alive !  To  me  it  is  a  most  astonishing  thing' 
to  even  think  that  our  small  force,  not  more  than  1,000  men,  should 
venture  to  contest  a  "field"  of  10,000  rebels ;  but  so  it  was,  not  only  at 
the  battle  of  Poison  Springs,  but  such  attacks  were  made  again  and 
again  over  the  entire  seat  of  war.  Surely  the  colored  troops  must  have 
had  the  hearts  of  lions,  and  a  most  tremendous  amount  of  self-confi 
dence  even  to  look  in  the  face  of  such  odds ! 

The  enemy,  with  ten  pieces  of  artillery,  now  opened  the  fight,  six 
in  front  and  four  on  the  right  flank.  (They  had  twelve  cannon  alto 
gether,  but  commenced  the  engagement  with  ten).  We  had  to  fight 
hard,  yes,  most  desperately,  and  lost  many  a  brave  man,  either  killed 
or  wounded.  Col.  Williams  still  fought  on  and  on,  making  the  best 
disposition  possible  of  his  little  force.  We  were  only  able  to  use  two 
of  our  light  cannon  at  any  one  time,  on  account  of  the  difficult  nature 
o  the  thickly-timbered  land.  The  Colonel  was  ever  hoping  that  re- 
enforcements  would  come  up  to  his  aid  from  Camden,  and  relieve  the 
train  loaded  of  two  hundred  wagons,  and  save  our  little  army,  but  no 
relief  ever  came.  Thus  the  battle  went  on  from  10  A.  M.  till  2  P.  M., 
during  which  the  rebels  made  one  charge  after  another,  but  were  al 
ways  repulsed  after  the  most  desperate  fighting.  The  loud  roaring  and 
yelling  of  the  rebels  at  Poison  Springs  even  exceeded  the  noise  of  the 


104  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

fire-arms  used  upon  that  occasion.  We  had  ninety-two  killed,  ninety- 
seven  wounded,  and  one  hundred  and  six  missing — in  all  two  hundred 
and  ninety-five.  The  enemy  probably  lost  more  than  we  did.  As  no 
re-enforcements  arrived  by  2  P.  M.,  it  was  decided  to  abandon  our  en 
tire  train,  and  work  our  way  through  the  woods  as  best  we  could  to 
Camden,  where  those  who  remained  arrived  at  n  F.  M.  on  the  day  of 
the  battle.  Col.  Williams  named  this  tremendous  fight  the  Battle  of 
Poison  Springs,  from  a  spring  of  that  name  in  the  neighborhood.  This 
\vas  one  of  the  very  hardest  fights  of  all  that  took  place  in  the  West. 
No  one  but  a  fool  would  now  ask  the  ridiculous  question,  "Will  col 
ored  men  fight?" — because  here  we  see  a  force  of  a  thousand  colored 
men  or  less  fighting  most  desperately  for  four  hours  with  ten  times 
their'  own  numbers.  This  was  as  good  as  the  10,000  Greeks  under 
Miltiades,  at  Marathon.  -The  Greeks  did  not  one  whit  better  than  our 
troops  at  Poison  Springs. 

But  the  success  of  the  troops  already  raised  in  Kansas  fired  the 
hearts  of  other  devoted  men  to  lend  a  hand  in  the  battle  for  the  Union 
and  liberty.  In  June,  1863,  another  regiment  was  organized  at  Fort 
Scott,  and  the  regimental  organization  of  the  same  was  completed  at 
Fort  Smith,  Arkansas.  The  regiment  went  into  camp  on  the  Poteau 
river,  about  two  miles  south  of  Fort  Smith.  The  work  of  drill  and 
discipline  was  here  carried  on  till  the  regiment  was  in  splendid  condi 
tion  for  the  field. 

On  the  24th  of  March,  1864,  the  regiment  left  Fort  Smith,  and  set 
out  on  the  Camden  expedition,  forming  a  part  of  Col.  Williams'  bri 
gade  of  General  Thayer's  division.  This  division  united  with  that  un 
der  Major-General  Steele  on  the  Little  Missouri  river,  after  which  they 
all  moved  on  together  against  the  rebels  in  the  direction  of  the  Red 
river. 

The  rebels  under  Generals  Price,  Smith  and  Taylor  having  de 
feated  Union  General  Banks  at  the  Red  river,.  Major-General  Steele 
retreated  eastward  to  Camden,  a  distance  of  about  sixty  miles.  Dur 
ing  the  retreat  the  regiment  had  several  skirmishes  with  the  enemy, 
and  quite  distinguished  themselves. 

On  the  29th  of  April,  1864,  tne  rebel  cavalry  came  up  with  the 
rear  of  the  Union  forces  at  the  Saline  river,  and  skirmishing  continued 
until  night  came  on.  A  pontoon  bridge  had  been  flung-  over  the  river, 


HISTO1UCAL   ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEG11O.  105 

and  all  the  Union  soldiers  had  already  crossed  except  some  artillery 
and  two  brigades  of  infantry,  which  included  the  Second  Kansas  Col 
ored  Regiment.  We  had  six  regiments  in  all  on  our  side.  The  rebels 
came  close  up  to  our  forces,  and  waited  for  the  dawn  of  day  to  begin 
the  battle.  Union  General  Rice,  of  Iowa,  formed  his  brigade  in  the 
centre ;  the  Twelfth  Kansas  Infantry,  under  General  Hayes,  was  on 
the  left,  and  the  Second  Kansas  Colored  Regiment,  under  Colonel 
Crawford,  was  on  the  right.  There  were  also  two  pieces  of  artillery 
on  the  Union  side. 

As  soon  as  it  was  light  enough,  the  opposing  forces  drew  nearer 
one  another,  and  the  battle  commenced  in  dead  earnest.  The  crash  of 
musketry  was  terrific.  The  rebels  strove  again  and  again  to  break 
through  OUT  thin  lines,  but  the  Union  forces  stood  their  ground  with 
firmness,  repelling  every  onset  of  the  rebels  till  reenforcements  came 
back  over  the  pontoon  bridge  to  our  aid.  The  rebels,  who  had  in  vain 
attempted  for  three  long  hours  to  break  down  the  colored  men  of  Kan 
sas,  next  brought  a  battery  of  artillery  to  bear  upon  them,  and  opened 
fire.  When  Col.  Crawford  saw  this,  he  ordered  the  brave  young  men 
to  charge  upon  the  guns  with  the  bayonet,  and  led  the  charge  himself. 
All  the  gun-carriage  horses  were  killed  but  two ;  the  gunners  were 
killed,  wounded  or  had  fled  ;  the  intrepid  and  heroic  Kansas  colored 
boys  took  possession  of  the  rebel  battery,  and  brought  them  over  to 
our  side !  Truly,  this  was  a  brave  deed  !  (Lebulun  and  Napthali  were 
a  people  who  jeopardized  their  lives  unto  the  death  upon  the  high 
places  of  the  field).  When  the  Second  Kansas  returned  with  the  rebel 
guns,  the  officers  and  men,  in  the  midst  of  the  battle,  gave  them  a 
glorious  salute,  waving  their  swords  in  the  air,  and  tossing  up  their 
caps  on  the  points  of  their  bayonets,  whilst  our  devoted  braves  smiled 
with  pleasure.  After  this  successful  capture  of  the  guns,  the  Second 
Kansas  was  moved  into  the  centre  of  the  line ;  a  charge  by  the  entire 
Union  forces  was  made  along  the  whole  line,  and  n/aw  the  rebels 
everywhere  gave  away,  and  the  victory  was  complete.  The  Second  Kan 
sas  was  the  first  to  begin  the  battle,  and  they  were  the  last  to  leave  the 
field. 

Thus  the  war  went  along  the  Western  frontier.  There  were  no 
great  battles,  as  was  the  case  in  the  East.  But  here  was  plenty  to  do 
for  all  that,  and  it  was  done  well.  There  were  at  times  great  hardships 


106  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

to  endure — long,  weary  marches,  cold,  and  the  want  of  all  things ;  but 
such  is  the  life  of  the  soldier,  and  such  is  war.  We  must  take  the  rough 
with  the  smooth.  Upon  the  whole,  the  Western  men  fought  bravely 
and  successfully,  and  mightily  helped  to  pull  down  the  rebellion. 

The  present  generation  have  very  little  idea  of  the  excitement  that 
prevailed  all  over  the  country  during  the  long  war.  Where  all  our 
regiments  did  so  well — indeed,  covered  themselves  with  honor — it 
would  be  ridiculous  to  make  any  distinction,  and  place  one  before  an 
other.  But  I  may  at  least  make  a  selection  at  random,  and  single  out 
the  54th  Regiment  of  Massachusetts,  in  March,  1863,  who  fought 
with  unsurpassed  valor  until  the  close  of  the  war — yea,  after  the  close 
of  the  war !  I  followed  the  career  of  that  devoted  regiment  as  if  I  had 
been  one  of  the  brave  fellows !  Well,  how  they  did  fight,  to  be  sure ! 
They  fought  at  James  Island,  at  Fort  Wagner,  at  Olustee,  at  Honey 
Hill,  and  at  Boykin's  Mill,  after  the  war  was  over,  because  they  had 
not  heard  that  Lee  had  surrendered ! 

This  Boykin's  Mill  was  a  few  miles  from  Camden,  South  Carolina. 
The  Fifty-fourth  Regiment  had  fought  every  step  of  the  way  from 
Georgetown  to  Camden,  and  the  rebels  made  a  last  desperate,  but  un 
successful  stand  at  Boykin's  Mill.  It  was  a  splendid  place  for  the 
defense,  as  there  was  no  other  way  of  approaching  it  except  by  a  nar 
row  embankment  about  two  hundred  yards  long,  where  only  one  man 
could  walk  at  a  time.  The  rebels  had  torn  up  the  planks  of  the  bridge 
over  the  mill-race,  thus  compelling  the  men  of  the  Fifty-fourth  to  cross 
over  on  the  timbers  and  cross-ties,  and  all  this  under  a  fatal  fire  of  mus 
ketry,  which  swept  the  embankment  and  the  bridge,  and  made  it  little 
better  than  a  "forlorn  hope"  to  pass  over.  But  he  Fifty-fourth  did  not 
falter.  They  had  fought  at  Olustee  and  Fort  Wagner,  so  they  charged 
over  the  dreadful  way  in  single  file.  The  first  men  to  advance  were  all 
shot  down,  but  the  rest  of  their  comrades  advanced  over  their  prostrate 
bodies,  till  the  enemy  became  so  panic-stricken  at  the  sight  that  they 
gave  up  the  fight,  abandoned  their  position  at  the  mill,  and  fled.  There 
seems  to  have  been  a  poet  in  the  regiment — Mr.  Henry  A.  Monroe,  of 
New  Bedford,  Massachusetts,  who  was  the  drummer-boy  of  Company 
C,  of  the  Fifty-Fourth.  He  thus  describes  the  fight  at  Boykin's  Mill : 


HISTOKICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  107 

One  wailing  bugle  note — then  at  the  break  of  day, 

The  Mill  is  won! 
With  martial  step  'and  gay  the  army  takes  the  way 

From  Camden  Town. 

There  lay  along  the  path,  defending  native  land, 
A  darinig,  desperate  band  entrenched  on  either  hand 
In  ambuscade. 

A  low  and  dark  ravine  beneath  a  rugged  hill, 
Where  stood  the  Boykin  Mill  spanning  the  creek,  whose  rill 
Flows  dark  and  deep. 

Only  a  narrow  bank  where  one  can  scarcely  tread; 
Thick  branches  meet  o'erhead;  across  the  mill-pond':s  bed 
A  bridge  up-torn. 

One  single  sharp  report: — (A  hundred  muskets  peal, — 
A  wild  triumphant  yell,  as  back  the  army  fell 
iStunnied,  'bleeding,  faint. 

As  when  some  mighty  rock,  obstructs  the  torrent's  course; 
After  the  moment's  paiuse,  'twill  rush  with  greater  force, 
Resistless  on. 

A  moment's  pause,  and  then  our  leader  from  his  post, 
Viewing  the  stricken  host,  cried,  "Comrades! — all  is  lost 
If  now  we  fail!" 

Forming  in  single  file,  they  gaze  with  bated  breath; 
Around, — before, — beneath, — on  every  hand,  stern  death 
His  visage  showed. 

"Forward!" — Tihey  quickly  spring  with   levelled   bayonet; 
Each  eye  ds  firmly  set  upon  that  pathway,  wet 
With  crimson  gore. 

That  Bailaklava  dash! — 'Right  through  the  leaden  hail, 

O'er  dyke  and  timbers  frail,  with  heart  that  never  fail 

They  boldly  charge. 

Facing  the  scathing  fire  without  a  halt  or  break, 
Save  when  with  moan  or  ishriek  in  the  blood-mingled  creek 
The  wounded  fall. 

What  could  resist  ithat  charge  ? — Above  the  battle's  roar 
There  swells  a  deafening  cheer,  telling  to  far  and  near, 


108  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

Anecdotes  of  deeds  of  bravery  and  devotion  kept  cropping  up  all 
through  the  war.  During  the  early  part  of  the  war  on  the  Lower 
Mississippi,  a  former  slave  assisted  in  bringing  in  a  lot  of  prisoners, 
and  he  himself  actually  drove  his  former  owner  before  him  into  the 
Union  camp !  "Old  Master"  assumed  bullying  airs  to  induce  him  to 
let  him  escape,  but  the  soldier  pointed  his  gun  at  him  repeatedly, 
saying,  "Go  on,  sir,  or  I'll  shoot!"  So  he  brought  him  into  the  camp, 
all  radiant  with  smiles,  and  who  can  blame  him  for  smiling  at  such  a 
time  as  this? 

At  Marion,  Tennessee,  there  were  many  incidents 'of  personal 
bravery,  of  which  this  was  one.  A  colored  soldier  had  got  a  tree  stump 
-close  to  the  rebel  line,  and  in  spite  of  all  efforts  to  dislodge  him,  he  still 
stuck  to  his  post,  and  picked  off  their  men.  The  rebels  charged  on 
the  stump,  but  when  the  Union  line  saw  the  movement  they  concen 
trated  their  fire  on  the  advancing  men,  and  drove  them  back.  Then 
there  followed  long  and  loud  cheering  for  that  brave  and  lonely  sol 
dier,  who  still  stuck  to  his  stump  and  kept  firing  away  with  a  regular 
ity  that  was  truly  wonderful.  The  stump  was  riddled  with  bullets,  but 
he  still  stuck  to  it,  although  at  times  he  was  nearer  to  the  rebel  lines 
than  to  the  Union  ones. 

A  great  many  war  incidents  were  recorded  in  the  annals  of  the 
fighting  in  Mississippi  between  Union  General  Sturgis  and  the  rebels 
there  under  General  Forrest.  Here  are  a  few  of  them.  A  corporal,  in 
one  of  the  colored  regiments  was  ordered  to  surrender.  He  allowed 
his  would-be  captor  to  come  up  close  to  him,  when  he  struck  him 
down  with  the  butt  end  of  his  gun.  Whilst  the  regiment  was  fighting 
in  a  ditch,  and  the  order  came  to  retreat,  the  color-bearer  threw  out 
the  flag,  intending  to  jump  out  and  get  it,  but  the  rebels  made  a  rush 
for  it,  and  in  the  struggle  one  of  our  men  knocked  down  with  his  gun 
the  rebel  who  had  the  flag,  and  caught  it  and  ran.  A  rebel,  with  an 
•oath,  ordered  one  of  our  men  to  surrender.  He  thought  the  rebel's 
gun  was  loaded,  and  dropped  his  own  gun ;  but  when  he  saw  his  enemy 
commence  loading,  our  colored  soldier  made  a  sudden  spring  for  his 
own  gun,  and  struck  the  rebel  dead.  One  of  our  captains  was  sur 
rounded  by  about  a  dozen  of  the  enemy,  when  he  was  seen  by  one  of 
our  own  men,  who  called  several  of  his  companions  to  his  side,  when 
they  rushed  forward  together  and  fired,  killed  several  of  the  rebels, 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  109- 

and  rescued  their  captain  at  once.  A  rebel  came  up  to  one  of  our  men, 
and  said,  "Come,  my  good  fellow ;  go  with  me,  and  wait  on  me."  In 
a  second  our  Union  soldier  shot  his  would-be  master  dead.  Once  when 
our  men  made  a  charge  on  the  enemy  they  rushed  forward  with  the 
cry,  "Remember  Fort  Pillow !"  when  the  rebels  called  back  to  them  and 
said,  "Lee's  men  killed  no  prisoners !"  One  of  our  men  in  a  charge 
threw  his  antagonist  to  the  ground,  and  pinned  him  fast  there,  but 
when  he  tried  to  withdraw  his  bayonet  it  came  off  the  gun,  and  as  he 
was  very  busy  just  at  that  time,  he  left  it  behind  him,  still  transfixed 
to  the  ground.  Another  soldier  killed  a  rebel  by  striking  him  with 
the  butt  end  of  his  gun  ;  the  gun  broke,  and  as  he  was  unwilling  to  stop 
his  work  just  then,  he  kept  on  loading,  and  fired  three  times  before  he 
could  get  a  better  gun.  The  first  time,  as  he  was  not  very  cautious, 
the  rebound  of  his  gun  cut  his  lip  badly.  When  the  troops  were  in 
the  ditch,  three  rebels  came  upon  one  man  and  ordered  him  to  sur 
render.  But  as  his  gun  was  loaded  he  shot  one  of  them  and  bayoneted 
the  other;  but  forgetting  in  his  haste  that  he  could  bayonet  the  third 
he  turned  the  butt  end  of  his  gun  and  knocked  him  down.  (The  above 
are  a  few  incidents  culled  from  the  annals  of  the  fighting  done  by  our 
men  in  Northern  Mississippi.) 

A  great  many  good  stories  have  been  related  in  connection  with 
the  Army  of  the  Cumberland.  Here  is  one  that  refers  to  an  incident 
when  that  army  was  in  Tennessee.  Early  one  morning,  as  a  company 
of  white  soldiers  were  about  to  resume  their  march,  a  Kentucky  lieu 
tenant  rode  up  to  the  commanding  officer,  saluted,  and  said  he  had 
some  runaway  slaves  under  his  charge,  whom  he  had  arrested  for  the 
purpose  of  sending  them  back  to  their  masters ;  but  as  he  had  been 
ordered  away  from  there  just  then,  he  turned  them  over  to  this  officer 
in  command.  (At  that  time  rewards  could  be  claimed  for  returning 
fugitive  slaves  to  their  masters).  So  the  officer  took  charge  of  them, 
and  purposely  assuming  a  stern  air  and  manner,  which  he  did  not  feet 
at  all,  he  said: 

"Where  are  you  going?" 

"Going  to  the  Yankee  army." 

"What  for?" 

"We  want  to  be  free." 

"All  right ;  you  are  free  now ;  go  where  you  wish !" 


110  HISTORICAL   ROMANCE   OF   THE   AMERICAN   NEGRO. 

And  their  warm  thanks  gave  great  joy  to  the  officer. 

The  same  officer  relates  another  incident  for  the  purpose  of  show 
ing  the  humor  of  the  colored  soldier.  A  spent  ball  had  struck  one  of 
our  men  on  the  side  of  the  head,  passed  under  the  scalp,  and  making 
nearly  a  circuit  of  the  skull,  came  out  on  the  other  side.  His  com 
rades  merrily  declared,  when  the  ball  struck  him  it  sang  out,  "Too 
thick !"  and  then  merrily  passed  on. 

Here  is  another  incident  that  happened,  which  I  think  is  very 
diverting,  even  amidst  the  horrors  of  war.  An  officer  was  riding  at 
the  head  of  his  column,  and  the  men  were  swinging  along  "arms  at 
will,"  when  they  spied  General  George  H.  Thomas  and  his  staff  ap 
proaching.  Without  orders,  at  once  they  brought  their  arms  to  "right 
shoulder  shift,"  took  the  step,  and  striking  up  their  favorite  tune  of 
"John  Brown,"  whistled  it  with  most  admirable  effect  while  they  were 
passing  the  general,  who  was  greatly  amused  and  pleased  at  the  in 
cident. 

There  was  a  private  soldier  who  during  an  engagement  had  taken 
his  position  up  a  tree  as  a  sharpshooter,  when  he  had  his  right  arm 
broken  by  a  ball.  The  captain  called  out  to  him,  "You  had  better 
came  down  from  there,  go  to  the  rear,  and  find  the  surgeon." 

"Oh,  no,  Captain,"  he  replied ;  "I  can  fire  with  my  left  arm !" 

And  so  he  did. 

When  General  Thomas  rode  over  the  field,  after  the  battle  of 
Nashville,  and  saw  the  bodies  of  colored  men  side  by  side  with  the 
foremost  of  white  men,  and  upon  the  very  ramparts  and  works  of  the 
Confederates,  he  turned  to  his  staff  and  said : 

"Gentlemen,  the  question  is  settled ;  Negroes  will  fight !" 

And  thus  I  might  go  on,  adding  incident  to  incident,  and  that 
without  end.  Where  a  war  was  being  carried  on  all  the  way  from  the 
Potomac  to  the  Rio  Grande,  it  must  needs  have  been  that  thousands 
of  such  incidents  were  taking  place  every  day. 


CHAPTER  X. 

Mrs.  Beulah  Lincoln  and  the  Girls  Leave  Buffalo  for  New  Orleans — • 
The  Journey  to  Cleveland,  Columbus,  Cincinnati,  Ohio — Voyage 
Down  the  Ohio  to  the  Mississippi — Arrival  at  New  Orleans — Met 
by  Old  Friends  at  the  Landing — Meeting  With  Tom  at  the  Hos 
pital — The  Newspaper  Reports. 

Weeks  and  months  had  passed  away,  during  which  my  gallant 
Tom  had  written  incessantly  from  the  hospital  at  New  Orleans,  and 
the  two  girls  and  myself  had  answered  him.  It  was  now  the  winter  of 
1864,  and  Tom  was  not  yet  well  enough  to  get  his  discharge  from  the 
hospital,  much  less  to  take  the  field.  I  was  beginning  to  tire  of  writing 
letters,  and  things  called  for  a  change  of  scene  and  fresh  air.  Besides, 
another  stern  winter  was  setting  in,  and  I  thought  I  might  get  along 
better  in  another  climate.  So  I  giot  the  girls  ready,  and  we  boarded  the 
train  for  Cleveland,  Columbus  and  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  It  was  wonderful 
to  see  and  feel  how  warmer  the  weather  became  as  we  got  further 
South.  The  icy  fetters  of  winter  relaxed  their  hold  as  we  advanced, 
and  we  were  quite  delighted  with  the  hills  and  forests  of  the  beautiful 
State  of  Ohio  all  the  way  to  Cincinnati.  Here  we  travelled  over  a  great 
part  of  the  city,  and  called  at  the  parsonage  of  the  A.  M.  E.  Church, 
and  visited  the  A.  M.  E.  Church  itself,  where  Tom  and  I  were  so  hap 
pily  married  upon  the  evening  the  self-same  day  when  we  took  our  de 
parture  from  Riverside  Hall,  near  Louisville,  Kentucky. 

Having  seen  a  few  of  our  dear  friends  here — friends  whose  ac 
quaintance  we  had  made  at  the  time  of  our  marriage — the  girls  and  I, 
escorted  by  some  of  those  beloved  acquaintances,  moved  down  to  the 
''Public  Landing,"  where  we  boarded  the  "Natchez"  for  New  Orleans. 
We  took  a  fond  leave  of  those  dear  souls,  and  giot  on  board,  and  soon 
felt  quite  happy  in  our  nice  and  cosy  stateroom,  which  the  girls  thought 
the  most  delightful  little  home  they  had  ever  been  in.  At  4  P.  M., 
whilst  the  bright  and  dazzling  sun  was  still  some  distance  above  the 
horizon,  and  after  all  the  loud  racket  and  wild  confusion  of  the  embark- 


112  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

ation  were  over,  the  last  whistle  was  blown,  they  drew  in  the  gang 
planks,  and  we  pushed  out  into  the  river  Ohio. 

Our  hearts  felt  as  light  as  feathers  as  the  "Natchez"  ploughed  out 
into  mid-stream,  a  thousand  branches  up  above,  swollen  with  the  re 
cent  rains,  having  filled  up  the  mighty  and  splendid  Ohio  from  bank 
to  bank,  so  that  we  seemed  to  be  floating  down  a  grand,  heaving, 
fresh-water  sea!  Now,  indeed,  did  we  enjoy  new  life  with  a  vim.  I 
told  the  girls  how  the  first  French  owners  and  explorers  named  the 
Ohio  "La  Belle  Riviere,"  that  is,  "The  Beautiful  River,"  and  it  is  the 
beautiful  river,  still.  Our  eyes  were  quite  enchanted  with  the  endless 
hills  on  both  sides,  all  clothed  with  primeval  forests  up  to  their  sum 
mits,  and  coming  down  to  the  water's  edge.  The  girls  were  quite 
transported  with  the  beautiful,  endless  turns  and  windings,  and  seemed 
to  get  no  rest  for  the  thousands  of  boats  and  barges,  and  floating 
things  of  every  shape  and  size,  rushing  up  and  down  the  river  day 
and  night,  whistling  and  screaming,  and  that  without  end.  It  was  a 
perfect  delight  for  me  to  be  once  more  on  this  river,  for  nature  is  al 
ways  fresh,  fair  and  enchanting,  but  for  my  two  daughters  the  whole 
scene  was  nothing  but  a  succession  of  unending  delights.  Their  feet 
and  eyes  had  no  rest,  and  their  tongues  were  never  still.  It  was  more 
than  I  could  do  to  answer  all  their  questions.  I  was  quite  delighted 
to  see  how  the  girls  and  several  'Other  nice  children  on  the  boat  be 
came  acquainted,  and  learned  to  love  one  another.  And  this  acquaint 
anceship  and  love  seemed  to  grow  upon  them  all  from  day  to  day  as 
we  advanced  farther  south.  Indeed,  children  are  great  people,  and 
they  will  have  ways  of  their  own.  And  on,  ion,  still  flew  "The  Nat 
chez,"  whilst  our  glorious  river  increased  with  innumerable  branches 
from  the  right  and  left,  till  we  reached  the  lower  end  of  Kentucky, 
where  the  lands  were  more  flat  and  uninteresting.  We  made  a  call 
here  or  there,  and  rushed  down  the  stream  again,  until  at  last  our 
glorious  Ohio  was  swallowed  up  in  the  Mississippi,  "The  Father  of 
Waters." 

I  don't  know  how  it  is !  I  suppose  it  is  because  I  am  a  sensitive 
woman ;  but  our  arrival  in  the  Mississippi  river  seemed  to  put  a  new 
soul  into  me  that  I  am  altogether  unable  to  define.  Like  the  far-trav 
elled  Queen  of  Sheba,  there  seemed  no  mioire  spirit  left  within  me.  My 
first  and  grandest  sensation  arose,  no  doubt,  from  the  fact  that  the  re- 


MR.  JACKSON. 


HISTOEICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGKO.  115 

union  between  my  well-beloved  Tom  and  me  was  almost  an  accom 
plished  fact,  because  we  were  now  both  on  the  same  river,  and  the 
rapid  "Natchez,"  assisted  by  the  mighty  forces  of  the  great  rushing 
river,  would  soon  bring  us  face  to  face,  after  several  years  of  separa- 
tion,  which  looked  to  me  like  half  a  life-time  already.  Then  there  was- 
the  mighty  "Father  of  Waters"  himself,  always  majestic,  solemn  and 
grand,  bearing  your  boat  along  upon  his  mighty  bosom,  like  a  perfect 
fly!  And  then  we  seemed  to  live  our  lives  over  again  in  our  dear 
children,  and  the  two  thoughtful,  contemplative  girls  were  filled  with1 
a  wonder  that  seemed  to  strike  them  dumb.  It  was  a  truly  wondrous- 
sight,  especially  for  those  passengers  who  had  never  been  on  the: 
mighty  "Father  of  Waters"  before,  nor  even  seen  his  rushing- 
waters.  Oh,  the  Mississippi,  the  Mississippi !  How  I  thought  and 
thought,  and  thought  again  how  my  dear  Tom  had  battled  on  for 
many  a  day  against  the  powerful  rebel  forts  on  this  very  river,  to  clear 
Uncle  Sam's  way  from  the  headwaters  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico!  It 
brought  the  tears  to  my  eyes  when  I  thought  how  my  own  tender 
husband  had  fought  and  bled  on  this  very  stream  that  the  Union,  one 
and  all  re-united,  might  be  restored  to  the  nation  at  large ;  how  Tom 
had  fought  and  bled,  and  almost  died  that  the  shackles  might  be 
knocked  off  the  suffering  slave,  and  freedom  reign  all  over  the  land, 
from  the  Lakes  to  the  Gulf. 

Thus  I  stood  for  many  a  long  hour  in  my  usual  feeling,  womanish, 
sentimental  way,  watching  the  gathering  and  thundering  waters,  over 
which  the  swift  and  beautiful  "Natchez,"  the  floating  palace  of  the 
Mississippi,  hurried  and  bowled  along  like  a  thing  of  life.  And  as  we 
swept  on  past  Vicksburg  and  other  places  that  had  long  ago  surren 
dered  to  the  Union  armies,  I  thought  of  Lincoln's  famous  words 
(President  Lincoln's):  "The  Mississippi,  the  'Father  of  Waters' 
flows  once  more  annexed  to  the  sea !" 

And  in  this  way  the  joyous  days  and  nights  passed  away  on  the 
rapid  "Natchez,"  whilst  the  passengers  spent  the  time  in  any  way  they 
pleased,  reading,  talking  and  sleeping  by  day,  and  dancing,  courting 
and  lolling  away  the  evening  hours,  or  looking  lazily  at  the  rushing 
waters  of  the  great  river.  Attracted  by  the  hilarity  in  the  saloon,  my 
girls  spent  some  time  flirting  and  waltzing  around  with  the  other  chil 
dren  on  the  boat,  nice,  harmless  playmates,  whom  I  mentioned  before. 


114  HISTOKICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

Indeed,  the  girls  were  quite  fortunate  in  having  such  nice  girl  com 
panions,  for  of  all  the  curses  on  the  face  of  the  earth,  I  think  bad  com 
pany  is.  about  the  worst  of  all ! 

Somehow  or  other  this  voyage  down  the  Mississippi  and  Ohio 
seemed  food  for  my  health.  The  complete  want  of  domestic  cares,  the 
fresh  air  on  the  open  deck,  the  happiness  of  the  two  children,  and  all 
my  delightful  surroundings,  made  me  fat  and  rosy,  and  the  girls,  also. 
Indeed,  we  were  complimented  on  our  appearance  before  we  left  the 
boat.  The  rapid  "Natchez"  flew  along  in,  and  in  due  course  the 
"Crescent  City,"  as  New  Orleans  is  called,  arose  upon  our  view,  and 
thrilled  us  with  the  utmost  delight. 

We  drew  up  to  the  land-place  in  due  time,  and  now  followed  one 
of  those  wild,  exciting  scenes  that  usually  take  place  when  we  come 
to  the  end  of  a  grand  journey  and  anticipate  grand  things  in  the  im 
mediate  future.  No  sooner  had  the  gang-planks  been  thrown  out,  but 
the  usual  rush  for  the  shore,  and  the  usual  rush  on  board,  took  place 
at  once.  Cabs,  carriages  and  porters,  all  were  on  hand.  As  I  had 
taken  the  precaution  to  communicate  with  those  dear  friends  at  whose 
house  I  lodged  when  I  rescued  my  own  dear  mother,  Mrs.  John  B. 
Sutherland,  from  slavery,  there  were  two  of  the  self-same  sweet  ladies 
awaiting  us  on  the  wharf,  and  signalling  to  us  before  we  even  came  up 
to  it,  whilst  myself  and  the  girls  waved  our  handkerchiefs  to  them  in 
reply.  But  when  the  gang-planks  were  flung  down  between  us  and 
the  shore,  the  dear  souls  rushed  on  board,  and  a  scene  of  wild  embrac 
ing,  kissing,  tears  and  laughter  followed,  that  it  would  be  quite  vain 
for  me  to  describe.  In  that  brief  and  joyous  meeting  on  the  deck  of 
the  "Natchez,"  we  all  experienced  a  lifetime  of  bliss.  With  a  terrible 
vim,  indeed,  did  we  all  realize  the  truth  of  the  I3th  chapter  of  First 
Corinthians,  wherein  the  great  apostle  of  the  Gentiles  dilates  so  elo 
quently  on  love  (not  charity).  Well,  the  girls  and  I  got  all  our  traps 
together,  called  for  a  cab,  when  we  all  got  in,  and  drove  for  my  cosy 
old  quarters.  Although  I  had  only  spent  a  week  with  that  dear  family 
on  my  last  visit,  the  attachment  that  had  grown  up  between  us  was 
truly  wonderful.  I  had  heard  from  them  several  times,  and  they  never, 
never  forgot  my  dear  mother  and  me.  When  we  all  reached  the  never- 
to-be-forgotten  house  with  the  cab,  we  received  another  ovation  at  the 
door  frcsi  *hose  who  had  remained  at  home.  The  grand  welcome  put 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN    NEdRO.  115 

the  girls  and  me  into  the  very  best  humor.  After  we  had  heard  and 
told  each  other's  news,  the  girls  and  myself  walked  forth  to  meet  dear 
husband  and  father  at  the  hospital.  Our  impatience  was  so  great, 
mine  at  least  was,  that  we  did  not  seem  able  to  live  out  this  day  unless 
\\c  met  with  Capt.  Thomas  Lincoln,  of  the  Union  Army,  in  the  South. 
\\  o  soon  reached  the  hospital,  where  we  were  received  with  all  that 
politeness,  tenderness  and  humanity  that  are  so  characteristic  of  doc 
tors  and  nurses.  I  told  them  at  once  who  we  were,  and  they  were 
very  greatly  astonished  and  delighted,  indeed,  to  think  that  we  had  thus 
purposely  travelled  all  the  way  from  one  extreme  end  of  the  United 
States  to  the  other  on  a  pilgrimage  of  love  and  devotion  for  husband 
and  father.  As  I  told  them  that  Tom  knew  nothing  about  our  coming, 
I  asked  them  to  take  us  into  a  parlor,  and  simply  to  announce  to  my 
husband  that  some  friends  had  called  to  see  him.  Our  attendants 
smiled  with  pleasure  at  the  proposal,  and  led  us  into  one  of  the  parlors 
of  this  beautiful  hospital,  and  we  had  not  long  to  wait  till  we  heard  a 
Tieavy  man  coming — clank,  clank,  clanking  along  on  one  crutch.  (He 
sent  me  word  that  at  first  he  used  two,  but  now  he  only  required  one 
of  them).  When  Tom  came  to  the  door,  we  three  advanced  to  meet 
him,  and  now  followed  a  wild  scene  of  tears,  laughter,  embracing  and 
joy,  which  my  dear  readers  will  understand  far  better  than  I  am  able 
to  describe.  The  wild,  heaving,  rushing  waters  of  the  Mississippi  were 
AS  nothing  to  this.  Oh,  sweet  is  the  pleasure  after  pain !  We  seemed 
to  live  a  whole  lifetime  of  joy  of  the  most  Elysian  bliss  whilst  seated 
in  that  never-to-be-forgotten  parlor.  Thus  hour  after  hour  passed 
away,  till  it  was  dinner  time,  but  on  this  ocasion,  Tom's  dinner  and 
ours  were  served  up  in  this  parlor. 

By  this  time  the  news  had  been  well  spread  throughout  the  hos 
pital,  and  even  into  the  city  of  New  Orleans,  that  the  children  and  I 
had  come  to  see  Tom.  And  no  sooner  had  we  got  through  with  our 
dinner  when  the  tide  of  visitors  began — doctors,  nurses,  with  their 
lady  and  gentlemen  friends  from  all  quarters,  besides  almost  all  the 
officials  on  the  premises,  at  least  those  who  could  get  away  from  theit 
duties,  to  come  and  shake  hands  and  speak  a  kind  word  to  us  three 
pilgrim  travelers  to  their  own  hospital.  No  doubt  but  a  good  deal  of, 
this  interest  arose  from  the  high  favor  in  which  Captain  Thomas  Lin 
coln  had  been  held  from  the  first,  and  that  in  turn  was  greatly  due  to 


116  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

his  well-known  bravery  on  the  field  of  battle  and  of  fame.  Then  Tom 
is  of  a  tall,  commanding,  splendid  personage,  and  a  perfect  magnet 
among  all  comers. 

We  had  intended  to  spend  the  afternoon  in  our  own  way,  but  cir 
cumstances  alter  cases,  and  the  afternoon  wore  away  with  nothing  at 
all  but  one  round  of  introductions  after  another  round,  till  at  last 
the  first  crowds  began  to  die  off  as  tea  time  drew  near;  and  as  the 
authorities  at  the  hospital  were  very  kind,  indeed,  and  as  we  were  still 
in  that  self-same  parlor  where  we  had  spent  the  day,  as  an  additional 
favor  to  us  four  our  tea  was  served  up  in  the  same  place  where  we  had 
had  our  dinner.  And  so  we  all  sat  down,  our  hearts  overflowing  with 
joy — joy  that  found  vent  even  in  tears,  and  filled  our  eyes,  out  of 
gratitude  to  that  good  God  who  had  thus  allowed  us  all  to  meet  again, 
"for  His  mercy  endureth  forever."  One  of  the  girls  having  said  grace 
before  meat,  we  all  fell  to,  and  had  a  most  glorious  repast  of  the  very 
best  that  the  hospital  and  the  city  of  New  Orleans  could  produce. 

As  good  news  flies  fast  in  a  strange  place,  especially  where  a  good 
cause  is  under  way,  we  had  no  sooner  got  through  with  our  most 
capital  tea  than  the  newspaper  reporters  began  to  arrive.  And  those 
reporters  were  the  politest  gentlemen  I  ever  saw  in  my  life,  for  they 
treated  us  with  as  much  kindly  interest  as  if  we  had  all  been  acquainted 
for  the  last  twenty  years.  Tom  and  I  asked  them  to  be  seated  whilst  we 
had  a  brief  consultation  between  ourselves  aside.  This  consultation 
was  about  my  own  coming  to  New  Orleans  at  a  former  time,  and  re 
leasing  my  own  dear  mother  from  slavery.  But  as  the  bottom  had  al 
ready  been  knocked  out  of  the  peculiar  institution,  as  it  was  playfully 
called,  and  what  remained  of  it  would  soon  pass  away,  we  did  not  con 
sider  that  there  was  any  risk  to  run,  and  decide  to  tell  the  whole  truth, 
and  give  all  the  facts  of  the  case  to  the  reporters,  leaving  it  to  their 
own  discretion  to  say  and  do  anything  that  they  pleased,  themselves. 
So  the  reporting  gentlemen  took  their  seats,  got  out  their  note-books, 
and  went  to  work,  writing  down  our  depositions,  one  and  all,  first  and 
last,  asking  us  questions  which  we  answered  with  the  greatest  pleas 
ure.  There  was  a  good  deal  of  amusement  in  the  parlor  that  evening 
over  the  reporting  business,  I  suspect  arising  out  of  the  slavery  ques 
tion,  and  the  whole  of  us  being  a  lot  of  "runaways" ! 

In  the  meantime,  when  all  had  left,  the  girls  and  myself  were- 


HISTOEICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  117 

completely  worn  out  both  in  mind  and  body,  with  travel,  fatigue  and 
excitement.  Tom  saw  us  to  the  gate  where  we  all  took  leave  for  the 
night,  after  which  we  steered  for  our  cosy  lodgings,  and  all  got  to  bed 
as  rapidly  as  possible,  for  we  were  as  tired  and  worn  out  as  soldiers 
.after  a  hard-fought  field ! 

The  children  and  I  had  a  grand,  long  sleep,  and  came  down  late 
lo  breakfast.  There  had  been  showers  of  warm  rain  in  the  early  morn 
ing,  and  the  breezes  that  blew  over  New  Orleans  were  as  well  per 
fumed  with  the  odor  of  Southern  flowers  and  vegetation  as  ever  lady's 
boudoir  was  with  the  perfumes  and  colognes.  Fresh-cut  flowers  in 
vases  stood  on  the  dining-room  table,  and  there  were  plenty  of  the 
iresh  fruits  of  the  Sunny  South,  which  the  family  had  brought  in  from 
the  market  in  the  early  morning.  The  girls  seemed  quite  at  sea  amid 
so  many  tropical  pleasures,  and  my  first-born  exclaimed,  as  she  looked 
.around  and  viewed  the  plants,  and  flowers,  and  shrubbery  in  every 
-direction,  both  in  the  house  and  out  of  it, 

"My  goodness,  mamma;  the  people  have  good  times  down  here 
in  Dixie.  Papa  has  a  grand  time  in  that  fine  hospital,  reading  the 
latest  news  from  the  front,  and  scejiting  the  perfumery  wafted  from 
10,000  flowers  and  shrubs !  I  just  envy  him  so  much  happiness." 

"Yes,"  said  the  younger  child,  "a"nd  he  is  here  all  the  time." 

To  which  her  elder  sister  rejoined, 

"Oh,  my  dear  sister,  I  wish  that  mamma  and  papa  would  stay 
here  altogether,  and  not  go  back  to  Buffalo !" 

"\Yhat?"  said  I,  in  great  surprise,  "don't  you  know  that  there  are 
10,000  serpents  among  the  grasses  and  shrubs  out  in  the  woods  ?  Don't 
you  want  to  go  back  to  our  sweet  little  church  on  Vine  street,  in  Buf- 
ialo  ?  And  don't  you  want  to  visit  the  Gibson's,  at  Richmond  Hill, 
once  more  ?" 

"Oh,  yes,  mamma,"  she  replied,  "I  want  to  go  back  to  class  to  the 
church  on  Vine  street,  Buffalo,  and  I  want  to  dig  up  potatoes,  and 
pull  down  apples  and  peaches  at  Richmond  Hill,  where  those  good 
Gibson's  live,  in  Western  Canada." 

"But,"  resumed  my  oldest  daughter,  "you  say,  mamma,  that  there 
are  10.000  serpents  in  this  part  of  the  Sunny  South ;  is  that  so?" 

"Yes,"  I  replied,  whilst  I  cut  another  orange  in  two,  "there  are 
more  than  10,000,  I  suppose ;  but  take  all  the  hundreds  of  species  in 


118  HISTORICAL   ROMANCE  OF  Till-:  AM  KIMCAN    NKURO. 

the  world,  there  is  not  one  specie  in  a  hundred  that  is  poisonous  at 
all;  and  they  will  seldom  or  never  sting  anybody,  if  one  does  not  go 
in  their  way,  or  trample  on  them  in  the  woods.  They  generally  get 
out  of  the  way.  But  tell  me.  my  dear,  what  makes  you  so  fond  of  the 
South?" 

"Indeed,  mamma,  I  can  hardly  tell,  unless  it  be  that  there  is  such  a 
sweet  and  delicious  feeling  about  all  our  surrounding's  here.  Why,  the 
very  winds  themselves  seem  to  be  fond  of  blowing  about  in  this 
place." 

"Yes,"  put  in  the  younger ;  "the  very  winds  are  fond  of  blowing 
about  in  this  place." 

These  latter  remarks  were  heard  by  some  of  the  family  and  guests, 
and  we  all  raised  a  loud  laugh,  whilst  the  youngest  added : 

"Sister,  please  pass  me  another  of  those  small,  sweet  oranges !  I 
don't  see  for  the  very  life  of  me  why  we  could  not  live  in  the  State  of 
Louisiana.  And  then,  mamma  says  the  snakes  are  not  very  dangerous* 
and  we  could  be  careful,  and  look  out  for  them." 

"Oh,  yes,"  rejoined  her  sister ;  "we  could  be  careful,  and  look  out 
for  them.  And  would  not  the  good  Lord  Himself  protect  us  against 
them  ?" 

"No  doubt  he  would,"  remarked  the  other,  "if  Christianity  can  pro  - 
tect  us  against  serpents  about  New  Orleans." 

By  this  time  we  were  in  a  great  state  of  merriment  over  the  two 
girls,  and  rose  from  the  breakfast  table  as  if  we  had  been  leaving  a 
successful  entertainment,  and  walked  out  to  see  the  garden. 

After  we  had  made  the  rounds  of  the  garden,  and  regaled  cur 
senses  with  all  that  was  most  delicious  in  the  Sunny  South,  we  came 
back  to  the  house,  when  a  member  of  this  good  family  placed  before 
us  on  the  sitting-room  table,  one  of  the  New  Orleans  morning  papers, 
which  contained  the  following  article.  I  think  the  good  reporter  who 
wrote  this  most  grandiloquent  article  on  myself,  family  and  comnec- 
tions  must  either  have  been  drinking  too  much  wine,  or  else  he  is  on 
the  point  of  getting  married !  I  can  account  for  such  high  praise  in 
no  other  way.  But  let  us  hear  what  he  has  got  to  say : 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  119 

ARRIVAL  OF  MRS.  THOMAS    LINCOLN    AND    HER    TWO    DAUGHTERS. 

It  is  an  old  and  true  saying  "that  wonders  never  cease,"  and  again 
we  are  reminded  of  the  words  used  by  Paul  against  his  enemies, — "Those 
who  have  turned  the  world  up-side  down  have  come  hither  also!"  \Ve 
Southern  people,  after  this,  need  wonder  no  longer  at  the  terrible  war 
that  the  mighty  North  has  brought  about  our  ears!  There  arrived  in  the 
port  of  New  Orleans  yesterday,  the  wife  and  two  daughters  of  Capt.  Thos. 
Lincoln,  an  inmate  of  one  of  our  hospitals,  a  captain  of  colored  troops, 
promoted  on  the  battlefield  for  bravery.  Mrs.  Lincoln  is  a  perfect  paragon 
among  ladies,  and  seem  to  possess  every  accomplishment  under  the  sun, 
— both  mind  and  body.  She  is  only  twenty-seven  years  of  age,  and  brought 
her  children,  two  well-grown  girls — along  with  her,  having  traveled  by 
rail  from  Buffalo,  New  York,  and  from  thence  came  on  the  "Natchez," 
down  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  to  New  Orleans.  Their  arrival  was  a  great 
surprise  to  Captain  Lincoln,  and  all  the  high  authorities  at  the  hospital; 
and  a  tremendous,  warm  welcome  was  what  taey  all  received  from  all 
whom  they  met.  We  ourselves  heard  of  their  arrival,  hurried  up  to  the 
hospital,  met  Captain  Lincoln's  wife  and  daughters  in  one  of  the  parlors 
there,  and  were  very  much  impressed  indeed  by  this  entire  happy  family, 
who  appeared  to  us  "as  fine  as  silk."  We  found  all  four  brimful  of  talk 
and  intelligence;  Mrs.  Lincoln  and  the  girls  being  expert  hands  on  the 
piano,  whilst  the  girls  have  evidently  had  splendid  opportunities  of  get 
ting  a  first-class  training  in  every  way.  Indeed  the  intelligence  of  the 
great  North  has  not  yet  been  told  by  one  half! 

We  remember  reading  in  the  public  papers,  some  nine  or  ten  years 
ago,  that  this  self-same  Capt.  Thos.  Lincoln  and  Miss  Beulah  Jackson,  now 
Mrs.  Lincoln,  made  their  escape  from  Riverside  Hall,  Kentucky,  and  were 
married  on  the  evening  of  the  same  day  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  Tom  Lin 
coln,  as  he  used  to  be  called,  was  general  manager  at  the  old  baronial  resi 
dence,  and  Beulah  went  by  the  facetious  name  of  "The  Flower  Girl  of 
Riverside  Hall,"  and  Beulah  is  "Flower  Girl"  still. 

Mrs.  Lincoln  and  the  girls  a<re  very^comfortably  lodged  at  the  house 
of  some  old  friends  where,  according  to  present  appearances,  they  will 
spend  the  winter, — a  solace  and  a  comfort  to  the  brave  husband  and  father, 
.  who  is  slowly  recovering  from  the  wounds  he  received  on  the  banks  of  the 
Mississippi  whilst  heroically  contending  with  the  enemy  up  the  river.  The 
happiness  of  this  now  re-united  family,  and  under  such  romantic  circum 
stances,  taught  us  that  the  age  01  chivalry  has  not  yet  gone  by. 

We  are  all  aware  that  this  war  sent  by  God  himself  for  the  down 
fall  of  slavery,  was  begun  in  Kansas,  transferred  to  South  Carolina,  and 
then  spread  over  almost 'all  the  Southern  'States.  I/t  was  the  abolitionism 
of  the  North  aided  by  the  anger  and  high-strung  temper  of  the  South  that 
blew  up  the  flames  of  war,  and  brought  on  the  present  state  of  things  that 
we  now  see!  And  there  were  not  only  men  in  the  great  abolition  cam- 


120  HISTOKICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

paign.  but  a  few  intrepid  women  also,  who  traveled  the  Northern  States, 
.attended  great  meetings,  where  they  played,  and  sang,  and  even  made 
most  eloquent  addresses  to  fire  the  great  northern  heart,  and  thus  these 
talented  and  warring  women,  these  Deborahs  of  the  great  North,  were  a 
mighty  factor  in  blowing  up  the  raging  fires  of  abolitionism,  and  driving 
Ihe  nation  into  war. 

Mrs.  Thomas  Lincoln  herself  was  one  01  those  moving  spirits,  and  her 
great  natural  intelligence,  splendid  training,  and  good  looks  helped  to  put 
wind  in  her  sails,  and  to  stir  up  the  war  spirit  of  the  dominant  North  in 
-every  kind  of  way  possible. 

As  slavery  is  almost  dead  and  gone, — and  what  remains  cannot 
<jxist  much  longer,  we  must  accept  the  entire  situation  with  as  good  a 
grace  as  we  can!  It  can  do  no  harm  now  to  let  the  cat  out  of  the  bag  and 
tell  the  whole  truth!  We  have  shown  that  not  only  is  Capt.  Thos.  Lincoln 
a,  brave  man,  but  his  affectionate  and  beautiful  wife  is  brave  also;  and  she 
proved  it  about  ten  years  ago,  when  she  was  only  some  seventeen  years 
of  age,  and  came  to  this  very  city  of  New  Orleans,  and  "stole  away"  her 
own  handsome  and  accomplished  mother  out  of  one  of  the  grandest  houses 
iere,  marched  on  board  the  New  York  steamer  with  her,  and  conveyed  her 
"to  Buffalo,  New  York,  by  way  of  Havana  and  New  York  City.  Surely  that 
"was  a  great  feat  for  a  mere  seventeen-year-old  married  woman,  or  'big' 
school  girl  if  you  prefer  it, — to  perform, — that  is  travelling  all  the  way 
by  rail  to  Cincinnati,  then  down  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers,  and  then 
Graving  the  dangers  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  the  stormy  North  Atlantic 
and  all  this  to  have  her  own  beloved  mother  under  the  self-same  roof  with 
lierself — and  she  succeeded  in  the  bargain!  We  are  informed  that  her 
mother, — formerly  called  Harriet  Jackson,  was  married  some  eight  or 
nine  years  ago  to  Mr.  John  B.  Sutherland,  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.  Under  all  these 
altered  circumstances  we  think  thait  the  right  thing  to  do  now.  is  to  ac 
cept  of  the  changed  situation  with  all  the  grace  that  we  can, — turn  over 
a,  new  leaf,  and  do  all  for  our  former  slaves,  but  now  our  freed  brothers 
and  sisters  that  lies  in  our  power.  It  is  clearly  the  will  of  God  that  men 
.should  be  free.  It  will  never  do  to  talk  about  "goods  and  chattels"  any 
longer.  If  Tom  Lincoln  and  Beulah  Jackson  had  not  left  Riverside  Hall  in 
Kentucky,  it  is  quite  clear  that  had  it  not  been  for  God  and  Northern  Lib 
erty .  we  would  never  have  seen  such  a  splendid  development  of  things, 
ar  we  now  behold  at  the  hospital  which  we  have  just  visited,  that  is. — a 
t>rave  and  well-trained  soldier  from  the  battlefield  and  a  mother  and  two 
daughters  that  possess  all  the  gifts  and  the  graces  that  can  ever  be  claimed 
by  the  mistress  of  the  "White  House,"  at  Washington,  and  the  queens  and 
ladies  of  rank  of  Europe. 

With  all  our  hearts  we  welcome  our  visitors  to  the  Crescent  City  of 
New  Orleans,  and  desire  to  make  a  good  impression  on  their  hearts  and 
minds,  trusting  that  their  stay  among  us  wrill  be  very  pleasant  indeed;  and 
may  they  ever  be  much  in  love  with  the  Sunny  South. 


CHAPTER  XL 

Grand  Demonstration  at  the  Military  Hospital — Music  and  Speeches 
— The  Armies  Reviewed  by  President  Lincoln — The  War  in  Vir 
ginia — Fight  at  New  Market  Heights — Fall  of  Petersburg  and 
Richmond — Flight  of  the  Rebels — Their  Surrender  at  Appomat- 
tox  Court  House — Rejoicing  Over  the  Good  News — The  Lincoln 
Family  Leave  New  Orleans,  and  Arrive  Home  at  Buffalo. 

As  the  hospital  where  my  husband  was  staying  was  at  this  time 
one  of  the  greatest  attractions  of  New  Orleans,  the  authorities  deter 
mined  to  make  the  most  of  our  arrival  there,  and  in  short  get  up  a 
demonstration  in  force  in  honor  of  the  colored  soldier  and  the  glorious 
deeds  he  had  done  on  the  far-extended  battlefield,  all  the  way  from, 
the  Potomac  to  the  Rio  Grande ;  and  it  was  decided  that  some  high 
military  general  should  be  asked  to  take  the  chair  at  this  great  meeting 
in  the  largest  hall  at  the  hospital.  As  the  newspaper  reporters  were 
once  more  on  hand  in  force,  it  will  be  unnecessary  for  me  to  say  any 
more  about  this  grand  demonstration,  only  I  may  say  that  men  have  a 
peculiar  love  for  flattering  the  fair  sex,  and  I  think  that  newspaper 
reporters,  at  least  those  in  the  Sunny  South,  lead  all  the  rest  of  the 
flatterers.  I  will  here  insert  a  copy  from  the  article  of  the  same 
paper  that  contained  the  glowing  account  of  our  arrival  at  New  Or 
leans : 

GRAND  DEMONSTRATION  AT  THE  MILITARY  HOSPITAL— MRS.  BEU- 

LAH  LINCOLN  ON  THE  COLORED  SOLDIER. 

It  will  be  a  long  time  before  the  citizens  of  New  Orleans  and  Louis 
iana  will  forget  the  mighty  gathering  that  took  place  last  night  at  the 
Military  Hospital,  where  the  commanding  general  took  the  chair,  and 
nobly  presided  for  two  hours  over  a  mixed  multitude  of  all  races  and  pro 
fessions,  to  be  entertained  by  Capt.  Thos.  Lincoln,  Mrs.  Beulah  Lincoln 
and  their  two  daughters,  all  of  whom  are  by  this  time  well-known  to  the 
people  of  Louisiana.  The  colored  soldiers,  officers,  and  general  population 
were  out  in  force,  and  between  them  and  the  white  portion  of  the  audi 
ence,  standing  room  at  last  was  a  premium,  and  hundreds  were  turned 
away  for  want  of  room  in  the  hall. 


122  HISTOEICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

All  thing's  being-  now  in  readiness,  the  chairman  called  the  meeting- 
to  order  by  .sajdng, — "Ladies  and  Gentlemen!  We  are  assembled  here  to 
night  for  an  evening's  entertainment  from  the  Lincoln  Family  of  Buffalo, 
and  we  may  also  consider  this  a  public  reception  of  the  same  family.  And 
inasmuch  as  Mrs.  Lincoln  is  a  splendid  hand  on  the  piano,  and  a  "number 
one"  singer  in  the  bargain,  and  as  I  had  the  pleasure  of  hearing  her  my 
self,  only  tne  other  day,  going  through  the  "Mocking  Bird"  at  a  rate  and 
in  a  way  such  as  I  have  never  heard — no,  never,  elsewhere — I  will  ask  this 
accomplished  lady  to  give  us  "The  Mocking  Bird,"  and  sing  to  her  own 
accompaniment  at  the  same  time. 

When  Mrs.  Lincoln  arose  and  advanced  to  the  grand  piano  on  the 
stage  in  front  of  the  audience,  a  most  tremendous  outburst  of  applause 
arose  from  the  audience,  and  almost  brougnt  down  the  roof.  But  our 
plucky  and  accomplished  musician  struck  in  without  stint,  and  such  a 
"Mocking  Bird"  came  forth  from  her  lungs  and  off  the  chords  of  the  piano 
as  has  not  been  heard  for  many  a  long  day  on  the  lower  Mississippi.  The 
attention  was  such  as  could  be  felt,  and  when  she  got  through  with  the 
performance,  the  applause  was  simply  indescribable.  An  encore  was  im 
mediately  called  for  with  such  vigor  that  the  fair  player  was  forced  to  com 
ply,  and  with  grand  spirit  and  vim  she  gave  us  "We  Are  Coming  Father 
Abraham,  Six  Hundred  Thousand  More."  This  really  is  a  grand  story,  to 
which  Mrs.  Lincoln's  clever  hands  and  powerful,  sweet  voice  did  ample 
justice.  Another  encore  was  called  for,  but  the  gallant  chairman  inter- 
f erred  by  rising  and  saying,  "We  now  call  upon  Captain  Thos.  Lincoln  for 
a  few  remarks.  Let  us  all  give  our  most  earnest  attention  to  Captain  Tom. 

When  the  applause  that  had  greeted  his  appearance  had  somewhat 
died  down,  Captain  Lincoln  went  on  to  say,  "Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  such  9, 
night  as  this  makes  up  for  all  I  have  sufferea  in  the  cause  of  the  Union 
and  Freedom.  When  I  first  entered  <the  army  to  assist  in  putting  down  the 
rebellion,  I  came  down  to  the  State  of  Louisiana  and  did  my  level  best 
against  the  enemy  along  the  lower  Mississippi.  While  we  in  Louisiana  and 
the  colored  troops  in  South  Carolina  under  General  Hunter,  proved  from 
our  first  blows  that  we  could  and  would  fight,  the  President  and  his 
Cabinet  were  deterred  by  many  prejudiced  men  in  the  north  and  in  the 
very  army  itself  from  enisting  colored  men.  A  portion  of  the  northern 
press  were  forever  thundering  against  the  enlistment  of  colored  men,  on 
account  of  the  prejudice  against  the  color  of  the  skin,  or  at  least  against 
the  inheritance  of  a  few  drops  of  African  blood.  They  were  envious  aud 
jealous  lest  the  descendant  of  African  parentage  should  fall  side  by  side 
with  the  fair-skinned  Caucasian,  should  die  and  be  buried  with  him,  or  if 
he  survived  the  shock  of  war,  should  receive  the  self-same  honors  as  his 
Anglo-Saxon  brother.  Of  course  the  white  man  of  the  north  knew  that 
we  could  fight  quite  as  well  as  himself.  Why  not?  But  he  was  afraid  of 
our  proving  that  our  claims  to  manhood  were  as  good  as  anything  he 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  123 

could  claim  for  himself;  and  therefore  he  felt  unwilling  to  give  us  a 
chance.  Then  again,  not  only  did  the  slave-holders  of  the  south  desire  the 
continuation  of  slavery,  but  there  was  an  "immense  mixed  multitude"  of 
their  sympathizers  north  of  Mason  and  Dixon's  Line,  who  took  the  same 
view  of  the  situation,  and  who  foresaw  that,  once  the  colored  race  marched 
to  the  field,  slavery  would  come  to  an  end.  This  opposition  was  rampant 
in  the  Union  Army  and  throughout  the  north  till  the  Southrons  had  given 
us  dozens,  if  not  hundreds  of  lickings  on  many  a  hard  fought  field,  and 
the  winter  of  1862  saw  the  entire  nation  in  a  fearful  state  of  depression. 
What  was  to  be  done? — The  answer  was  at  hand! — As  a  matter  of  imme 
diate  military  necessity  call  the  colored  men  into  the  field, — free  them, — 
and  end  the  war!  Then  drilling-  of  colored  men  beg'an  at  once,  from  the 
Atlantic  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  from  the  Great  Lakes  to  the  Ohio 
and  Missouri  rivers,  and  now  I  believe  that  we  have  some  two  hundred 
thousand  colored  men  in  the  field  and  in  the  fleets  together.  Neither  have 
we  fought  for  pay  nor  from  any  other  personal  selfish  motive;  we  have 
fought  for  the  salvation  of  Uncle  Sam  and  the  freedom  of  the  slave  at  one 
and  the  same  time.  We  have  not  fought  for  ourselves  alone,  we  have 
fought  for  others,  and  all  the  commanding  generals  have  ever  given  us  a 
good  word,  and  never  a  bad  one.  They  have  uniformly  praised  our  men 
with  a  good  grace,  and  praised  them  without  stint.  Noiw  the  south  is 
steadily  going  down,  down,  down.  All  they  have  left  is  a  small  section  in 
the  northeastern  part  of  the  confederacy,  and  they  cannot  hold  out  much 
longer.  Still  like  rats,  they  will  fight  as  long  as  there  is  one  man  left  stand 
ing  on  his  feet.  I  am  afraid  we  shall  have  to  kill  every  one  of  them  for 
they  are  a  stiff-necked  and  rebellious  generation,  and  they  will  never  sur 
render  wThilst  they  have  a  man  in  front  who  can  carry  a  flag. 

I  ought  to  be  in  Virginia  now  myself,  where  so  many  of  my  friends 
and  compatriots,  under  Grant,  are  wearing  out  the  rebellion  to  a  nonentity. 
T  would  like  to  be  there,  and  would  soon  show  the  rebels  and  rebel  «3rmpa- 
thizers  again  whether  I  will  fight  or  not.  But  I  am  not  entirely  recovered, 
even  now,  from  the  wounds  I  received  up  the  river,  and  here  I  will  remain 
until  I  am  cured." 

Captain  Lincoln  having  thus  spoken  resumed  his  seat  amidst  a  per 
fect  storm  of  applause  all  over  the  hall. 

The  gallant  chairman  once  more  arose  and  said,  "Ladies  and  Gentle 
men.  It  is  now  my  extreme  pleasure  to  bring  under  your  kind  notice  the 
two  accomplished  young  daughters  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lincoln,  two  of  the 
sweetest  girls  that  I  ever  met  with  in  all  my  life.  They  are  regular  at 
tendants  of  a  Christian  Church  at  Buffalo,  and  have  also  received  a  first 
class  musical  education  in  the  north.  They  will  now  treat  us  all  to  a  fine 
duett  on  the  grand  piano." 

When  the  commanding  general  had  thus  spoken,  these  two  elegant 
girls  advanced  to  the  piano,  took  their  seats,  and  commenced  a  duett 


124  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

which  gave  a  world  of  pleasure  to  all  assembled  in  the  hall,  both  soldiers 
and  citizens  alike,  and  where  and  how  these  girls  had  got  so  much  'training 
and  perfected  musical  education  was  a  wonder  to  many.  Be  that  as  it  may, 
the  girls  were  not  at  all  daunted,  and  played  as  quietly  and  collected  as  if 
they  had  been  in  a  private  parlor  at  home.  When  the  girls  had  got  through 
their  lively  and  enthusiastic  duett,  the  applause  that  followed  was  so  great 
and  continued  that  they  were  obliged  to  comply  with  the  demand  for  an 
encore,  which  they  accordingly  gave,  and  which  was,  if  possible,  better 
than  the  one  before  it,  and  was  rewarded  with  another  tremendous  round 
.-of  applause. 

The  chairman  arose  again  and  said,  "Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  we  have 
all  listened  with  extreme  pleasure  to  the  two  duetts  played  \>y  these  two 
•children.  We  will  now  call  upon  Mrs.  Thos.  Lincoln  to  address  the  house. 
She  did  splendid  service  during  the  Abolition  Campaign  that  led  on  to  the 
election  of  Abraham  Lincoln;  and  thousands,  who  are  now  free,  have  al 
ready  risen  up  and  called  her  blessed.  But  we  will  now  have  the  pleasure 
of  hearing  the  lady  herself." 

Mrs.  Lincoln  on  coming  forward  was  met  with  a  splendid  reception 
from  the  audience,  who  even  rose  to  their  feet  and  cheered  loudly.  It  was 
a  glorious  sight  to  see  the  meeting 'at  this  time,  the  handsome  lady  waiting 
on  the  stage,  and  soldiers  and  citizens  like  to  go  frantic  with  joy,  as 
well  indeed  they  might.  When  order  had  been  evolved  out  of  chaos,  Mrs. 
Lincoln  proceeded  as  follows: 

"Gallant  General,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  it  seems  to  me  that  this 
must  be  the  happiest  day  of  my  life,  thus  to  stand  before  an  audience  in 
the  famous  Crescent  City  in  company  with  my  dear  husband  and  daughters. 
Most  assuredly  this  is  ithe  red  letter  day  of  my  life,  if  I  ever  had  one,  to 
address  both  soldiers  and  citizens  at  New  Orleans. 

And  yet  I  am  quite  overwhelmed  when  I  contrast  the  little  I  was 
permitted  to  do  in  the  Abolition  Campaign  before  the  war  with  wha/t  many 
a  brave  man, — yes,  hundreds  of  thousands  of  men  have  done  since,  and  are 
•doing  now,  both'  by  day  and  by  night.  I  feel  quite  overcome  when  1  think 
even  of  these  brave  men  all  around  me  here,  and  remember  the  easy  times 
by  comparison,  that  we  Abolitionists  had  as  we  travelled  the  Northern 
States,  and  were  not  always  well  received.  Yes,  small  and  puny  was  our 
work  compared  with  that  of  the  black  and  white  heroes  who  have  often 
met  a  most  determined  and  even  desperate  foe,  on  many  a  hard  fought 
field.  The  hearts  of  us  peor  women  in  the  North  have  often  bled  as  we 
all  these  years  at  home  lay  secure  and  safe,  whilst  our  loved  ones  were 
fighting  like  giants  against  the  enemies  of  human  liberty^  and  mankind 
also.  Tihe  bravest  of  the  brave  were  in  the  field.  White  and  black  all 
fought  alike  well.  They  were  the  flower  of  all  the  men  of  the  north.  They 
were  swifter  than  eagles.  They  were  stronger  than  lions. 

The  war.  no  doubt,  is  now  drawing  to  a  close.     The  host  of  slav»>ry 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  125- 

is  in  their  last  ditch,  even  at  Richmond  in  Virginia,  where  blacks  and  whites 
will  have  to  finish  them  between  them.  And  when  this  cruel  war  is  all 
over,  and  those  who  remain  alive  return  home  again,  then  the  country 
will  begin  to  teem  with  chronicles  and  histories  of  the  great  rebellion* 
But  will  one  hundredth  part  of  the  truth  ever  be  told?  I  don't  think  it 
ever  will;  .because  it  will  never  be  known,  and  who  can  write  the  history 
of  that  which  we  don't  know?  Such  and  such  things  could  be  related,  but 
there  is  no  one  to  record  them. 

It  is  very  true  that  we  may  catch  a  glimpse  of  things  here  and  there, 
but  for  one  item  that  is  recorded,  there  will  be  a  thousand  lost.  There 
are  the  marches,  and  the  counter-marches,  the  snow,  the  rain,  and  the 
hail  of  winter;  the  heats  and  droughts  of  summer;  weakness  and  sickness 
arising  from  the  want  of  all  things,  hunger  and  fatigue.  O,  there  is  none 
but  the  Lord  from  heaven  Himself  who  can  ever  know  all  thait  our  brave 
fellows  have  endured  before  they  breathed  their  precious  lives  away  in  the 
service  of  their  country.  Just  consider  for  a  moment  how  their  decaying^ 
bodies  have  been  found  weeks  and  months  afterwards  in  the  deep  ravines, 
at  the  bottom  of  swamps  and  rivers,  in  the  wild  tangled  thickets  of  the 
forest,  upon  every  highway,  and  under  every  green  tree.  Here  a  poor 
\vounded  fellow  wandering  away  by  himself  and  perishing  all  alone  in  a 
strange  land  far  from  home  and  his  native  state,  who  knows  all  about  the 
end  of  that  man;  and  who  shall  write  his  heroism  and  the  suffering  he  en 
dured  before  the  Lord  put  an  end  to  his  pains,  and  took  him  home  to 
heaven  to  Himself  ?  Alas,  alas!  There  is  no  one  to  tell  uis  how  'he  suffered,, 
fought  and  died.  We  only  know  that  he  marched  forth  to  the  field,  in 
health  and  strength  and  vigorous  life,  and  did  his  part  in  pulling  down 
this  terrible  rebellion,  a  wicked  rebellion  indeed,  built  upon  the  broken 
laws  of  human  nature,  an  outrage  upon  humanity,  and  a  sin  against  God. 
But  those  gallant  heroes  who  have  fallen  in  the  war  often  said,  that  it  was 
simply  their  part  to  do  their  duty,  and,  if  they  fell,  their  wives  and  chil 
dren  would  at  least  be  free,  and  not  forgotten  by  a  grateful  and  Christian 
government.  (They  shall  not  be  forgotten).  When  I  look  around  me,  and 
see  the  great  advance  along  the  whole  line  already  in  the  way  of  human 
liberty,  the  results  are  perfectly  grand  and  most  inspiring.  With  the  ex 
ception  of  a  small  section  of  the  Confederacy,  it  may  be  truthfully  stated 
that  the  armies  of  the  Union  have  already  freed  all  the  slaves.  From  the 
Potomac  to  the  Rio  Grande  one  grand  song  of  liberty  has  been  sung  by  the 
emancipated  race.  Was  there  ever  such  a  shout  of  joy  heard  since  the  Is 
raelites  escaped  from  Egyptian  slavery,  when  Pharaoh  and  all  his  host 
perished  in  the  Red  Sea?  Who  would  ever  have  imagined  that  in  our  own 
day  history  would  thus  have  repeated  itself?  But  it  has  done  so  all  the 
same;  and  for  the  self-same  reason  our  own  poor,  oppressed  people  have 
raised  one  universal  shout  to  Heaven,  and  sung  all  along  the  whole  line, 
"I  will  sing  unto  the  Lord,  for  he  hath  triumphed  gloriously;  the  horse 


12G  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN   NEGRO. 

and  his  rider  hath  he  thrown  into  the  sea."  O,  my  brother!  ye  brave  sold 
iers  of  the  army  of  the"  Union,  ye  have  deserved  well  of  your  God  and  of 
your  country,  and  your  honers  will  never  fade  while  sun  and  moon  endure. 
White  and  black  soldiers,  shoulder  to  shoulder,  have  marched  to  the  field; 
they  have  overthrown  their  terrible  foe,  and  they  have  cleared  the  way 
for  the  education,  the  Christianization,  and  grand  enlightenment  and  in 
telligence  of  an  emancipated  race.  Our  sufferings  have  been  great.  The 
whole  nation  has  suffered,  but  the  sacrifice  has  not  been  made  in  vain,  for 
generations  unborn  shall  arise  and  call  you  blessed.  Your  labors,  toils  and 
sufferings  will  neither  be  lost  nor  forgotten.  The  entire  emancipated  nice 
will  bless  you  while  life  and  time  shall  last;  your  names  shall  be  inscribed 
upon  the  roll  of  fame,  and  all  generations  shall  conspire  to  call  you  bless 
ed.  'Be  thou  faithful  unto  death,  and  I  will  give  you  a  crown  of  life.' 
'Enter  ye  into  ithe  joy  of  your  Lord.' 

Mr.  Chairman,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  I  thank  you  very  much  indeed 
for  your  kind  attention  to  my  few  remarks." 

When  Mrs.  Lincoln  had  thus  spoken,  she  resumed  her  seat  amidst  a 
loud  and  long-continued  storm  of  applause.  The  gallant  chairman  then 
called  for  "three  cheers  and  a  tiger,"  for  the  Lincoln  family,  which  were 
given  with  a  terrible  vim,  when  the  meeting  broke  up,  and  we  all  scattered 
for  our  separate  homes.  But  a  grander  demonstration  was  never  gotten 
up  in  the  city  of  New  Orleans. 

The  last  grand  struggle  of  war  was  in  .Virginia,  where  General 
Grant  gathered  together  many  of  the  veterans  who  had  fought  in  the 
South  and  Southwest,  including  20,000  colored  troops,  one-half,  at 
least,  of  whom  were  veterans,  and  there  were  also  many  powerful,  en 
thusiastic  recruits  who  desired  nothing  better  than  an  opportunity  to 
assist  in  knocking  down  the  Confederacy !  A  goodly  number  of  those 
brave  young  fellows  had  been  enlisted  in  Maryland.  It  is  quite  amus 
ing  to  recall  the  letters  and  chronicles  of  the  times  when  the  recruiting 
officers  landed  from  their  vessels  on  the  shores  of  the  Chesapeake, 
marched  up  to  the  slave-holder's  estates,  called  for  all  the  male  slaves 
to  be  brought  before  them,  when  they  picked  out  the  strongest  and 
the  best,  asked  them  if  they  were  willing  to  fight  for  freedom  and  the 
Union,  and  always  receiving  the  joyful  answer,  "Yes,  master,  I  am 
willing/1  laid  down  their  tools  there  and  then,  and  marched  on  board 
the  Union  vessels  with  great  delight.  It  was  in  vain  that  their  rebel 
masters  and  mistresses  pointed  out  their  need  of  their  slaves,  to  gather 
it.  their  harvest,  which  was  then  about  ripe  (1863),  or  that  the  officers 
took  their  able-bodied  "servants,"  who  left  their  teams  right  there  on 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  127 

the  highways,  the  heads  of  the  horses  being  turned  round  in  the 
direction  of  the  plantation.  The  rebel  masters  and  mistresses  were  sim 
ply  referred  to  Washington  for  redress — if  any  could  be  got  there! 
"You  must  apply  to;  the  Secretary  of  War;  we  are  merely  acting  un 
der  orders  from  the  head  of  the  department."  In  the  meantime  the 
delighted  slaves  marched  on  board,  and  were  taken  to  the  camp  ap 
pointed  for  drilling,  and  thus  many  a  splendid  soldier  was  recruited 
who  mightily  helped  to  pull  down  the  "Confederate  States." 

The  children  and  I  spent  a  delightful  time,  as  I  remember  well, 
on  the  26th  of  April,  1864,  reading  the  glorious  accounts  in  the  papers 
of  the  grand  march,  the  day  before,  past  the  White  House  at  Wash 
ington,  of  the  mighty  army  destined  for  the  conquest  of  Virginia,  and 
the  destruction  of  the  entire  slave-holders'  rebellion.  That  never-to- 
be-forgotten  show-day  was  indeed  one  of  the  red-letter  days  for  the 
army  of  the  Union,  among  whom  were  thousands  of  colored  soldiers 
who  marched  gaily  past,  and  hurrahed  lustily  for  "Father  Abraham," 
who  was  smiling  down  upon  them  from  the  balcony  of  the  White 
House.  Although  they  were  not  yet  declared  American  citizens,  still 
these  brave  young  men  were  going  to  fight  for  the  star-spangled  ban 
ner.  They  had  often  heard  the  name  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  but  this 
was  the  first  time  they  ever  saw  him,  and  they  swung  their  caps  around 
their  heads,  clapped  their  hands,  and  shouted  aloud  for  joy,  "Hurrah, 
hurrah,  hurrah  for  Mr.  Lincoln !  Three  cheers  for  the  President !" 
Long  and  loud  were  the  rejoicings,  as  regiment  after  regiment  march 
ed  past ;  powerful,  enthusiastic  men,  who  were  once  slaves,  but  now 
freemen,  with  steady  step  and  even  ranks  moved  in  splendid  order 
down  the  street  past  the  White  House  on  their  venturesome  way  to 
the  seat  of  war.  The  President  had  never  seen  a  general  review  ot 
colored  troops  before,  but  he  was  greatly  pleased,  indeed,  and  heartily 
acknowledged  their  enthusiastic  shouts  by  bowing  and  waving  his 
hand  to  them,  and  making  himself  agreeable  and  pleasant  to  them, 
a,  they  marched  past. 

Thus  the  whole  army  under  review  passed  ..on,  crossed  "yon  long 

bridge"  over  the  Potomac  river,  and  entered  the  State  of  Virginia. 

Poor,  brave  fellows !     Many  of  them  never  returned  alive,  but  they 

were  the  bravest  of  the  brave,  and  performed  their  glorious  mission. 

The  grand  march  was  past  at  Washington.     It  was  like  the  ball 


128  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

and  dance  before  the  battle  of  Waterloo,  when  the  British  and  allied 
armies  had  that  glorious  night's  revelry  before  they  marched  to  the 
field  to  meet  the  French  under  Napoleon.  And  so  some  20,000  men 
of  African  descent  met  on  the  soil  of  Virginia  to  contend  with  Lee  and 
his  Confederate  veterans.  It  would  require  a  whole  volume  to  itself 
to  relate  all  the  marching  and  counter-marching  of  the  next  twelve 
months ;  the  battles  in  the  woods,  the  advancing  and  retreating,  and 
the  fighting  at  the  fords  of  the  rivers  of  Virginia.  General  Grant, 
poor  fellow,  lost  many  brave  men,  for  the  rebels  were  bold  and  cour 
ageous  ;  they  were  on  their  own  soil,  and,  worst  of  all,  were  fighting 
for  slavery.  The  evolutions  of  the  contending  hosts  these  last  twelve 
months  of  the  war,  remind  me  somewhat  of  a  great  "circus,"  where 
the  horse  and  their  riders  fly  along  in  one  unending  whirl,  whilst  Grant 
seemed  to  stand  in  the  middle  of  the  circus,  and  direct  the  evolutions 
of  boith  riders  and  steeds.  The  colored  troops  came  in  for  their  full 
share  of  the  work,  bravely  performed  their  duties  every  time,  but,  alas ! 
there  was  many  a  brave  man  who  was  laid  under  the  sod !  Yes,  it 
would  take  a  whole  volume  to  recount  all  the  deeds  that  our  brave 
brothers  did,  marching  and  fighting  month  in  and  month  out,  in  sum 
mer's  heat  and  winter's  cold.  It  was  in  the  end  of  September,  1864, 
that  General  Butler,  at  the  head  of  a  strong  force  of  colored  troops, 
carried  the  New  Market  Heights,  and  utterly  defeated  the  rebels.  Our 
loss  was  considerable,  but  our  own  men  were  completely  successful. 
Many  other  instances  of  devotion  and  bravery  might  be  given ;  but  it 
would  be  nothing  but  an  unendless  task.  General  Grant  and  all  the 
other  commanders  had  nothing  but  good  words  for  our  heroic  bro 
thers. 

It  was  now  the  beginning  of  April,  1865.  The  bottom  had  almost 
been  knocked  out  of  the  Confederacy  by  Sherman's  march  from  At 
lanta  to  the  sea.  General  Lee  and  his  determined  rebel  crew  still 
held  out  at  Richmond,  but  Grant  and  the  Union  armies  were  thinning 
them  down  and  wearing  them  out.  Then  came  the  fall  of  Petersburg, 
the  key  to  Richmond,  and  then  followed  the  retreat  of  the  rebels  from 
Richmond  itself.  The  intention  of  Lee  and  the  rest  of  the  Confeder 
ates  was  to  betake  themselves  to  the  mountains,  and  there  carry  on  a 
guerrilla  warfare  as  long  as  they  had  a  man  left  toi  carry  the  rebel  flag 
and  shoot  a  gun.  But  this  was  not  allowed.  Swift-footed  white  and 


H1STOK1CAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  129 

black  troops  followed  them  up  with  unrelenting  vigor  day  and  night ; 
with  horsemen  and  footmen  we  hurried  after  them,  and  at  last  got 
right  in  front  of  them,  and  outflanked  them  also  at  Appomattox  Court 
House.  The  Confederates  had  been  without  food  for  three  days  and 
nights,  and  all  things  were  coming  to  an  end.  Lee  soon  discovered 
that  he  could  not  break  through  the  Union  forces,  under  Grant,  Meade 
and  Sheridan.  At  one  and  the  same  time,  he  therefore  dispatched  fleet 
couriers  to  each  one  of  the  three  Union  generals  to  cease  righting,  and: 
stating  that  he  would  surrender  himself  and  his  army  prisoners  of  war.. 
Generals  Grant  and  Lee  accordingly  met,  when  the  surrender  was; 
made ;  and  when  the  rebel  forces  in  other  parts  of  the  South  heard  of 
*he  surrender  of  Lee  at  Appomattox  Court  House,  they  also  laid  down 
their  arms.  Thus  the  South  was  conquered,  and  slavery  was  destroy 
ed.  The  shackles  were  knocked  off  4,000,000  of  our  own  beloved  race, 
the  Union  was  restored,  and,  as  Lincoln  said,  "The  Mississippi,  Father 
of  Waters,  flowed  once  more  unvexed  to  the  sea !"  Glory  to  God ! 

I  shall  never  forget  the  excitement  when  the  news  arrived  at  New 
Orleans  that  Lee  had  surrendered.  Among  the  rebel  sympathizers  it 
was  a  time  of  great  depression,  indeed ;  but  among  all  Union  people, 
and  the  entire  colored  race,  most  of  all,  it  was  truly  a  time  of  such  re 
joicing  as  only  occurs  once  in  a  lifetime.  People  embraced  and  even 
kissed  one  another  who  had  never  met  before ;  they  shed  tears  of  joy, 
sang,  shouted,  and  gave  glory  to  God.  It  was  a  perfect  carnival  both 
day  and  night.  To  the  colored  race,  at  least,  it  brought  the  deepest 
and  most  sincere  joy,  and  all  felt  that  the  war  had  not  been  waged  in 
vain,  nor  so  many  valuable  lives  sacrificed  for  nothing.  In  many  parts 
of  the  Union  the  people  met  together  in  halls  and  churches  for  the  pur 
pose  of  giving  praise  and  glory  to  God ;  and  there  was  general  rejoic 
ing  over  the  triumph  of  the  armies  of  the  Union.  Thousands — I  might 
say  millions — never  went  to  bed.  That  night  was  like  the  night  when 
the  Israelites  came  out  of  Egypt.  It  was  the  passage  of  the  Red  Sea 
over  again.  "Sing  unto  the  Lord,  for  He  hath  triumphed  gloriously  ; 
the  horse  and  his  rider  hath  He  thrown  into  the  Sea!  Praise  ye  the 
Lord !" 

The  war  also  vindicated  and  proved  the  complete  manhood  of  the 
colored  race  before  the  entire  world.  At  least  200,000  of  the  flower  of 
our  youth  had  fought  most  manfully  to  save  the  very  life  of  the  nation ; 


130  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

in  fact,  the  late  slave  had  earned  his  own  freedom,  and  therefore  had 
at  least  as  much  reason  to  thank  his  own  powerful  right  arm  as  to 
Uncle  Sam  himself  and  the  armies  of  the  Union. 

It  now  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  inform  the  kind  reader  that  Tom 
was  now  completely  recovered  from  the  effects  of  the  wounds  he  had 
received  up  the  river.  It  was  now  the  month  of  June,  1865,  and  we 
-were  all  longing  to  see  our  dear  friends  at  Buffalo,  and  they  also  were 
anxious  to  see  us.  As  Tom  and  the  girls  had  never  seen  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico,  nor  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  we  thought  it  would  afford  us  a 
pleasant  variety  in  the  line  of  travel  to  return  home  by  Havana  and 
New  York  City.  So  we  all  took  a  tender  leave  of  our  dear  friends  at 
the  hospital,  and  throughout  the  city,  many  of  whom  came  down  to 
the  New  York  boat  to  give  us  the  last  sweet  tokens  of  affection  and  see 
us  off.  As  upon  the  former  occasion,  when  Mrs.  Sutherland  and  I 
came  this  way,  we  had  splendid  weather  all  the  way  to  Havana,  where 
we  all  landed  and  had  a  pleasant  walk  through  the  city  of  the  capi 
tal  of  Cuba.  It  is  wonderful  what  a  good  idea  a  person  can  get  of  a 
strange  place,  even  in  a  few  hours. 

We  got  up  steam  once  more,  passed  through  among  the  Bahama 
Islands,  and  made  a  call  for  a  few  hours  at  the  beautiful  little  city  of 
Nassau,  on  the  Island  of  New  Providence.  This  belongs  to  the  Eng 
lish,  and  is  the  most  spicy  and  perfect  place  in  all  the  West  India  Is 
lands.  Got  up  steam  again,  and  passed  Cape  Hatteras  in  safety,  and 
in  due  time  landed  at  New  York,  after  which  we  took  the  train  for 
Buffalo,  where  we  arrived  after  a  long  and  weary  ride  on  the  cars ;  and 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  B.  Sutherland  and  several  other  dear  friends  gave 
us  a  very  warm  welcome  when  they  met  us  at  the  depot,  and  took 
us  all  to  our  own  home. 


CHAPTER  X1L 

Receptions  at  Buffalo — The  Lincoln's  and  Sutherland's  Visit  to  Can 
ada — Their  Grand  Reception  There — Our  Sacrifices  for  the  Union 
and  Freedom — The  Difficulties  of  Reconstruction — Good  Work 
of  the  Freedman's  Bureau — Universal  Rejoicing  of  all  the  Re 
deemed  Race — The  Colored  People  Settling  Down  to  Hard  Work 
throughout  the  South. 

.  The  long  and  terrible  Civil  War  was  all  over  at  last,  and  by  the 
grace  of  God  we  had  got  our  Tom  home  to  Buffalo  once  more,  all  safe 
and  sound.  Our  sea  voyage  from  New  Orleans  to  New  York  did  us 
all  an  immense  lot  of  good,  and  seemed  to  brighten  us  all  up  in  a  won 
derful  degree.  It  was  at  least  a  grand  event  in  the  lives  of  the  girls,  and 
is  not  forgotten  even  now. 

By  way  of  returning  thanks  and  giving  glory  to  God  for  the  vic 
torious  end  of  the  war,  a  regular  reception  was  given  to  us  one  night 
at  the  A.  M.  E.  Church  on  Vine  street,  when  every  member  was  pres 
ent,  and  there  was  such  a  time  of  rejoicing  and  general  jollification  as 
I  thought  had  never  been  exceeded  since  the  world  began.  We  were 
also  called  upon  for  short  speeches ;  hymns  of  praise  and  triumph 
were  sung,  and,  indeed,  there  was  a  high  time  generally.  "O  give 
thanks  unto  the  Lord,  for  He  is  good,  for  His  mercy  endureth  forever !" 

For  the  space  of  a  whole  month  thereafter  we  just  spent  the  whole 
time  receiving  friends  at  our  house,  and  entertaining  them,  and  going 
out  and  being  entertained  by  them  in  turn.  It  was  just  one  round  of 
the  purest  pleasure,  in  which  there  was  neither  danger  nor  alloy.  Tom 
had  to  do  an  infinite  deal  of  talking,  relating  his  wars  and  battles  in 
the  Sunny  South,  and  the  girls  and  I  supplemented  the  same  by  giving 
our  experiences  of  the  Rivers  Ohio  and  Mississippi,  and  the  grand 
sea  voyage  all  the  way  from  New  Orleans  to  New  York.  People  were 
greatly  taken  with  the  two'  girls,  as  they  were  just  as  bright  as  two 
buttons. 

After  all  this  turmoil  was  over,  we  all  sighed  for  some  fresh  air 
in  the  country,  and  new  scenes  altogether.  The  glorious  Gibsons  of 


132  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

Canada  had  been  writing  incessantly  ever  since  we  spent  that  never- 
to-be-forgotten  month  at  Richmond  Hill,  and  had  most  urgently  in 
sisted  upon  us  three  coming  back  the  second  time  after  Tom's  return 
to  Buffalo — and  for  us  to  bring  Tom  along  with  us.  And  Tom  him 
self  was  not  only  willing  but  he  was  most  anxious  to  go,  for  the 
tongues  of  our  children  had  been  going  ding-dong  hammer  and  tongs, 
about  the  glories  of  Richmond  Hill  and  Western  Canada.  And  when 
it  was  at  last  decided  that  we  would  take  the  road,  and  the  day  of  our 
departure  from  Buffalo  had  been  set,  nothing  would  satisfy  our  anxious 
children  but  that  they  should  write  a  conjoint  letter  to  the  Gibsons 
about  our  coming  to  Canada.  And  this  they  did  in  their  own  way, 
and  with  such  an  incredible  amount  of  enthusiasm  that  the  good  Gib 
sons  have  been  laughing  over  it  ever  since. 

So  we  got  already  for  our  journey  in  the  beginning  of  August, 
1865,  and  when  we  were  about  to  start  for  the  railway  station,  what 
was  our  surprise  when  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sutherland,  in  travelling  costume, 
marched  back  into  the  parlor,  and  said  that  they  also  were  bound  along 
with  us  to  Richmond  Hill  and  the  Canadas  !  We  were  as  much  knock 
ed  down  by  this  piece  of  information  as  if  we  had  been  prostrated  on 
the  battlefield  by  a  discharge  of  grapeshot.  We  four  all  gave  a  loud 
shout  for  joy,  made  a  general  rush  for  them,  and  such  a  scene  of  em 
bracing,  kissing  and  congratulation  followed  as  certainly  can  never  be 
described  by  the  pen.  This  unexpected  turn  of  affairs  put  new  courage 
into  us  all,  and  served  its  purpose  as  well  as  a  tremendous  victory  over 
the  enemy.  The  girls  shouted,  "Come  on,  father !  Come  on,  mother ! 
Grandpa,  come  on !  Come  on,  grandma !  There's  a  good  time  com 
ing,  and  no  mistake  this  time."  The  children  set  us  all  laughing.  But 
business  is  business,  and  so  we  got  our  trunks  into  a  conveyance,  and 
all  the  presents  intended  for  the  good  folk  at  Richmond  Hill,  and  the 
conveyance  rolled  on  to  the  railroad  station,  while  we  six  happy  trav 
elers  proceeded| after  it  on  foot. 

We  all  reached  the  station  in  due  time,  and  being  in  a  very  hilari 
ous  mood,  the  weather  being  so  fine,  and  with  such  pleasing  prospects 
before  us,  we  were  taken  for  a  wedding  party,  and  no  wonder !  We  g-ot 
into  the  train,  and  soon  was  off  for  Canada.  Having  at  length  crossed 
over  the  Niaeara  river,  we  were  fairlv  launched  upon  Canadian  soil . 
All  hearts  were  light,  all  eyes  were  bright,  and  nature's  face  was  fair 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  133 

gay.  Our  ride  from  the  river  to  the  railway  station  at  Ingersoll 
was  indeed  perfectly  delightful,  and  we  had  nothing  to  do  by  the  way 
but  sit  back  in  our  seats  and  admire  the  beautiful  and  well-cultivated 
country.  As  the  girls  and  I  had  been  here  two  years  ago,  it  was  nctt 
such  a  wonder  to  us,  but  the  beautiful  hills  and  dales  of  this  land  of  ref 
uge,  to  our  oppressed  people  in  days  gone  by,  were  a  perfect  inspira 
tion,  a  wonder  and  a  delight  to  the  rest.  In  due  course  of  time  we  ar 
rived  at  the  station  at  Ingersoll,  where  we  were  met  by  a  conveyance 
from  Richmond  Hill ;  but  as  there  were  six  of  us  in  all,  more  than  they, 
•or  even  than  some  of  our  ownselves,  had  expected,  we  could  not  all 
get  in,  and  Tom  got  another  conveyance  and  divided  the  company  in 
two.  When  we  had  almost  completed  our  journey,  the  Gibsons  at 
Richmond  Hill  saw  us  coming  over  the  top  of  the  last  hill,  as  we  is 
sued  out  among  the  trees,  upon  which  the  entire  family,  dogs,  cats  and 
all,  were  seen  leaving  the  house,  and  going  down  the  field  for  the 
purpose  of  meeting  our  cavalcade  at  the  gate  that  opened  into  the 
high-road.  We  cautiously  descended  the  last  hill,  moved  down  the 
road  that  leads  to  the  Cedar  Swamp,  and  met  these  good  Gibsons  at 
the  gate.  I  have  said  hundreds  of  times  since  that  the  warm  welcome 
they  gave  us  put  me  in  mind  of  heaven,  and  it  seemed  to  me  at  the 
time  worth  going  all  the  way  to  Richmond  Hill  to  receive ! 

We  all  steered  up  the  field  road  on  foot,  and  when  we  came  to 
Richmond  Hill,  and  looked  around  us  upon  the  country  far  and  wide, 
we  were  all  perfectly  enchanted  with  the  view,  and  one  and  all  of  us 
exclaimed,  "What  a  beautiful  land !  Fair  as  the  Garden  of  Eden  before 
the  Lord !  Beautiful  as  Tirzah !"  Then  we  all  went  into  the  bouse, 
where  we  disposed  of  our  trunks,  and  all  the  rest  of  our  things,  after 
which  we  sat  down  and  talked,  and  felt  thoroughly  at  home.  Indeed, 
there  was  a  home  feeling  about  the  place  that  was  irresistible.  With 
true  Canadian  kindness  refreshments  were  immediately  placed  before 
the  young  man  who  drove  the  hired  conveyance,  and  after  he  had 
helped  himself  to  his  heart's  content,  he  took  his  departure  for  Inger 
soll,  where  I  doubt  not  he  arrived  safely  in  a  short  time. 

A  good  supply  of  bread  and  cheese  and  milk  were  set  upon  the 
table,  and  each  of  us  took  a  snack  only,  because  the  afternoon  was 
now  wearing  on  apace,  and  supper  would  be  ready  in  a  couple  of 
hours.  In  the  meantime,  we  all  put  on  our  hats  and  bonnets,  and  ac- 


134  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

companied  by  several  members  of  the  family,  we  took  a  walk  up  to 
the  top  of  the  range  of  hills  that  ran  away  above  the  house,  from 
whence  we  could  see  the  sloping  lands  and  dales  that  lay  away  beyond 
them ;  and,  indeed,  we  had  a  most  complete  view  of  the  whole  coun 
try,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach.  There  was  something  perfectly  sub 
lime  in  the  scenery  that  lay  all  around  us,  far  and  wide.  How  we  did 
admire  the  fair-faced  forest  land,  where  tbe  streams  rolled  away  for 
Lake  Erie,  winding  round,  and  round,  and  round ;  and  the  forests  grew 
on  both  sides  all  down  their  banks,  and  the  rest  of  the  country  was 
under  a  course  of  careful,  splendid  cultivation. 

We  were  so  much  taken  with  the  glorious  views  of  fair  and  fertile 
Canada  that  we  felt  in  no  hurry  to  return,  but  sat  down  om  the  hill 
top,  like  a  lot  of  birds  of  passage  resting  after  a  long  flight,  and  inhaled 
the  very  inspiration  of  the  joyous  scene.  But  at  last  time  was  called 
for,  and  we  all  steered  back  to  the  house,  where  we  found  Doctor  and 
Mrs.  McKenzie,  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  to  which  the  Gibsons 
go,  in  the  little  country  town  three  miles  off.  The  McKenzies  live  in 
a  beautiful  mansion  among  the  trees  on  the  hill-top  opposite  Rich 
mond  Hill.  (We  left  the  mansion  on  our  right  hand  before  we  de 
scended  the  last  hill).  They  had  heard  that  we  six  had  come,  and  in 
our  absence  had  arrived  to  pay  us  a  visit.  Dr.  McKenzie  and  wife  are 
excellent  company ;  they  are  highly  intelligent,  and  come  from  the 
highlands  of  Scotland.  We  had  attended  his  church  in  the  town  upon 
our  last  visit  in  the  autumn  of  1863. 

Supper  was  now  ready,  and  we  all  sat  down  around  the  jovial 
board,  which  was  fairly  groaning  under  an  enormous  weight  of  good 
tilings.  Dr.  McKenzie  said  grace;  Mary  and  Margaret  Gibson  acted 
a>  waiters,  and  we  had  one  of  the  best  suppers  that  were  ever  served 
up  even  in  hospitable  Canada.  After  that  we  resolved  ourselves  into 
a  sort  of  open  parliament,  and  the  night  drove  on  with  fun  and  con 
versation.  One  after  another  of  the  neighbors  continued  to  arrive,  and 
the  enthusiasm  of  the  night  went  on,  grew  and  still  increased.  The 
piano  was  also  brought  into  full  play,  and  the  girls  and  some  of  the 
rest  of  us  played  and  sang,  and  a  better  time  had  never  been  heard 
along  the  sides  of  those  peaceful  and  lovely  hills.  I  am  sure  it  was  for 
all  a  time  of  extraordinary  enjoyment. 

During  a  lull  in  the  proceedings  of  the  night,  Dr.  McKenzie  stated 


H1STOKICAL  KOMANCE  OF  THE  AMEEICAN  NEGKO.  135 

that  it  would  be  a  great  gratification  to  himself  and  wife,  and  to  all  their 
friends  over  these  hills  if  a  night's  entertainment  were  given  in  the  hall 
at  the  post-town,  three  miles  off;  and  we  could  order  the  proceedings 
of  the  night  in  any  varied  way  that  we  pleased.  We  informed  the  learn 
ed  doctor  that  we  would  leave  the  matter  entirely  in  his  own  hands, 
and  whenever  he  called  us  up  we  would  answer  to>  the  summons,  and 
do  our  very  best  to  please  every  man,  woman  or  child  who  fav 
ored  us  with  their  presence. 

In  due  course  the  grand  entertainment  came  off,  and  what  with 
songs,  music  and  speeches  it  was  declared  to  be  one  of  the  very  best 
and  most  enthusiastic  gatherings  in  all  the  chronicles  of  Canada. 

We  spent  one  whole  month  at  Richmond  Hill,  the  month  of  Aug 
ust,  1865.  We  walked  the  hills  and  dales,  far  and  near,  as  on  the  oc 
casion  of  our  former  visit  we  spent  many  a  pleasant  day  at  the  homes 
of  the  dear  Canadians,  who  never  knew  how  to  be  kind  enough,  and 
a  great  many  came  even  a  long  way  to  see  us.  We  walked  along  the 
hill-tops,  and  sat  down  besides  the  purling  streams  in  the  forests,  and 
read  under  the  shade  of  the  tall  trees.  Once  more  the  two  girls  over 
hauled  that  grand  edition  of  the  "Pilgrim's  Progress,"  and  Tom  was 
also  taken  immensely  with  the  pictures. 

But  all  things  come  to  an  end.  We  had  a  most  glorious  time 
among  these  good  Canadians ;  we  all  felt  greatly  benefited  by  our  visit 
to  Richmond  Hill,  and  Tom  declared  that  he  felt  at  least  as  well  as  he 
did  before  he  went  away  to  the  war.  So  we  gave  the  Gibsons  a  gen 
eral  invitation  to  come  and  visit  us  at  our  home  in  Buffalo  whenever 
they  got  ready  to  do  so.  We  took  a  fond  leave  of  them  at  Richmond 
Hill,  and  some  of  them  accompanied  us  to  the  railway  station  at  Inger- 
soll,  where  we  took  the  10  o'clock  train  for  Buffalo,  and  arrived  there 
safe  and  sound  the  same  afternoon. 

The  condition  of  the  South  after  the  rebel  armies  surrendered  re 
minds  me  of  the  havoc  wrought  when  a  forest  of  great  tall  trees  is 
swept  down  by  a  strong  and  mighty  wind,  and  all  the  forest  monarchs 
are  flat  on  the  ground.  Their  mighty  roots  are  exposed  to  the  gaze  of 
every  passer-by ;  an  enormous  quantity  of  earth  is  torn  up  by  the  ter 
rible  wrench  that  has  taken  place ;  and  the  great  branches  are  broken 
and  jumbled  together  with  the  great  crash  of  the  now  prostrate  and 
ruined  forest.  Such  was  the  state  of  the  South  after  Lee  surrendered 


336  H1STOK1CAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

21  Appomattox  Court  House,  in  Virginia.  He  had,  indeed,  no  great 
army  to  surrender,  and  what  little  armies  remained  to  the  rebellion 
elsewhere  were  but  of  small  account,  and  promptly  laid  down  their 
arms  at  last. 

Whilst  the  South  fought  with  a  valor  that  was  worthy  of  a  better 
cause,  and  her  slave-holders  and  followers  actually  laid  down  their 
lives  in  thousands  and  ten  thousands  for  their  darling  "independence" 
and  slavery,  I  am  never  able  to  think  without  regret  of  the  dreadful 
sacrifice  of  human  lives  and  treasure  that  we  of  the  North  were  forced 
to  make  to  restore  the  Union  to  its  former  state,  and  to  secure  the  free 
dom  of  the  last  slave  in  all  the  land.  Never  since  this  world  began  did 
a  defiant,  haughty  and  valiant  race  of  rebels  so  long  and  so  successfully 
resist — I  might  almost  say  the  wealth,  the  resources,  and  the  physical 
strength  of  half  the  world.  It  was  the  "strong  man  armed,"  and  in  his 
own  house,  fighting  there  with  all  his  might  and  main.  And  how  did 
we  knock  down  the  house  and  kill  him  ?  Alas,  alas  !  we  had  to  sacrifice 
whole  legions  of  our  well-beloved,  both  white  and  black,  that  the  Union 
and  liberty  .might  be  where  they  are  at  the  present  day. 

I  have  just  above  compared  the  condition  of  the  South  at  the  close 
of  the  war  to  that  of  a  forest  of  mighty  trees,  all  suddenly  dashed  to 
the  earth  by  the  force  of  overwhelming  and  irresistible  winds — even  the 
terrible  winds  that  are  swept  upon  the  land  from  the  wild  and  stormy 
ocean  that  breaks  upon  our  shores.  The  question  next  was  how  were 
we  to  clear  this  forest  land ;  remove  all  the  trees  with  their  great  up 
turned  roots  ;  fill  up  the  great  cavities — in  a  word,  "clear  the  land,"  and 
worst  of  all,  restore  the  forest?  What  Abraham  Lincoln  might  have 
•done  if  he  had  lived — he  and  his  cabinet  between  them — I  am  unable 
to  say.  A  great  many  people  are  of  the  opinion  that  had  Lincoln  lived 
things  would  have  gone  ten  times  better  with  Reconstruction  than  they 
•did.  That  may  have  been  so,  but  the  wish  was  father  to  the  thought, 
and  it  has  always  been  my  opinion  that  there  would  have  been  a  bad 
time  of  it  for  years  and  years  to  come,  as  there  was  without  the  great 
war  President.  Poor  fellow!  Because  ever  during  his  lifetime,  and 
when  the  war  was  going  on,  there  were  many  times  when  Lincoln  him 
self  confessed  that  he  was  almost  at  his  wit's  end,  and  did  not  know 
what  to  do  for  the  best.  With  the  Southerners  going  home,  sullen, 
angry  and  defeated,  and  four  millions  of  slaves  redeemed  from  the  curse 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  137 

of  the  '''peculiar  institution,"  for  the  very  life  of  me  I  am  unable  to  see 
that  any  one  with  much  less  wisdom  than  that  which  is  divine,  could 
ever  had  at  once  brought  order  out  of  chaos  in  a  day,  or  even  in  a 
year.  Even  with  the  assistance  of  10,000  giants,  it  must  have  taken 
time  to  clear  away  that  fallen  forest,  fill  up  the  awful  gaps,  and  put  a 
new  forest  in  the  place  of  the  one  that  had  been  knocked  down ! 

In  order  to  make  a  beginning  at  Reconstruction  it  was  decided  to 
place  the  late  rebellious  States  under  military  governors,  who  acted  in 
concert  with  the  Bureau  for  Freedmen,  Refugees  and  Abandoned 
Lands.  This  "Freedman's  Bureau,"  as  it  was  briefly  called,  was  wisely 
established  in  the  spring  of  1865  f°r  the  purpose  of  assisting  in  every 
possible  way  those  4,000,000  of  the  African  race  whom  the  war  had 
made  free  and  turned  loose  on  the  country.  Of  course  they  must  not 
be  permitted  to  starve,  and  the  Government  at  Washington  wisely  es 
tablished  the  bureau  to  assist  them  in  tiding  over  the  crisis.  Richmond 
and  the  Confederacy  had  not  fallen  yet,  but  the  grand  crash  was  at 
hand,  and  all  things  were  in  readiness  for  the  mighty  changes  that 
were  at  the  door  of  the  nation. 

But  the  freedmen  were  not  the  only  people  who  had  to'  be  provid 
ed  for.  There  was  a  host  of  white  people — all  sorts  of  refugees — who 
had  also  been  rendered  homeless  and  entirely  destitute,  who  were  in 
precisely  the  same  condition  as  the  recent  slaves  of  African  descent. 
These  had  to  be  looked  after  the  same  as  the  rest  of  the  people,  and  all 
had  to  be  clothed  and  fed,  and  encouraged  to  go  to  work  at  once,  be 
sides  sending  their  children  to  public  schools  that  were  to  be  estab 
lished  all  over  the  States  lately  in  rebellion.  Besides  all  these,  courts 
of  law  were  set  agoing  to  try  ordinary  cases  throughout  the  new  mili 
tary  districts  everywhere.  And  for  the  purpose  of  farming,  it  was 
decided  to  take  the  lands  that  had  been  abandoned  by  the  rebels  dur 
ing  the  war,  or  confiscated  by  the  government,  and  portion  out  the 
same  to  freedman  and  refugees,  not  giving  more  than  forty  acres  to 
each,  and  that  upon  the  easiest  terms,  for  the  space  of  three  years,  with 
the  right  of  purchase  afterwards,  if  the  tenants  wished  to  buy,  when 
the  easiest  terms  again  would  be  granted.  But  right  here  I  have  some 
thing  of  a  most  unusual  pleasant  nature  to  relate.  My  indulgent  read 
er,  my  book  would  come  far  short  of  the  mark  without  it ! 

The  war  that  had  lasted  about  four  years  and  a  half  was  now  all 


338  HISTOKICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

over  and  gone.  The  last  rebel  had  been  forced  to  lay  down  his  arms, 
and  slavery,  that  had  existed  under  the  most  aggravated  form  for 
about  two  hundred  and  fifty  years,  had  been  swept  from  the  land,  and 
there  remained  not  the  shadow  of  a  doubt  that  every  colored  man, 
woman  and  child  were  entirely  free.  Then,  like  the  Jews  of  old,  after 
the  drowning  of  Pharaoh  and  his  rebel  army  in  the  Red  sea,  there  arose 
a  loud  and  long-continued  song  of  joy  from  the  hearts  of  all  the  4,000,- 
ooo  of  freed  people  all  over  Secessia — from  Mason  and  Dixon's  line  to 
the  Rio  Grande  river ;  and  from  the  wild  Atlantic  waves  to  the  State 
of  Missouri  in  the  far  west.  .For  some  time  after  the  close  of  the  war, 
throughout  the  entire  South,  the  entire  colored  race  could  think  of 
little  else  but  rejoicing,  singing  and  dancing  for  joy.  And  I  would 
think  it  a  very  strange  thing  if  the  redeemed  race  had  not  so  abandoned 
themselves  to  such  joy  and  rejoicing  for  a  time  at  least.  It  was  the 
natural  song  of  the  captive,  suddenly  and  unexpectedly  released  from 
his  prison.  Joy,  joy,  joy!  Oh,  nothing  but  joy!  "I  will  sing  unto 
the  Lord,  for  He  hath  triumphed  gloriously;  the  horse  and  his  rider 
hath  He  thrown  into  the  sea."  For  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  the 
poor,  dear,  oppressed  people  of  God  had  been  under  the  lash  of  the 
task-master ;  but  now  they  were  free  as  the  masters  themselves  !  This 
was  right,  perfectly  right,  and  accounts  for  all  their  joy,  their  songs 
and  rejoicing  all  over  the  lately  far-extended  battle-field.  "Oh,  praise 
ye  the  Lord,  for  He  is  good ;  for  His  mercy  endureth  forever!'' 

When  Abraham  Lincoln  was  assassinated,  Andrew  Johnson,  of 
Tennessee,  who  had  been  elected  vice-president,  became  in  turn  the 
President  of  the  United  States.  This  man  had  been  brought  up  in  the 
South,  and  w^hen  Reconstruction  came,  all  his  Southern  sympathies 
floated  up  to  the  surface.  He  entered  into  a  direct  quarrel  with  the 
houses  of  Congress,  and  vetoed  almost  every  bill  that  ever  came  before 
him.  But  in  all  such  cases,  Congress  passed  his  vetoes  over  his  head, 
and  they  were  of  no  effect.  At  last  he  was  impeached  and  tried  for 
his  cross-grained,  contrary  measures,  but  escaped  conviction  by  the 
smallest  majority.  But  all  the  same  he  was  one  of  the  most  destructive 
rebels  that  we  had. 

In  the  meantime  Reconstruction  went  on  in  the  late  rebellions 
States  in  the  best  way  that  Congress  knew  how  to  do  it,  which  was 
not  much  at  the  best.  A  race  of  men  swept  down  from  the  North  with 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  139 

their  carpet-bags  in  their  hands  in  search  of  fortune,  who  were  nick 
named  carpet-baggers ;  then  there  were  the  middle  class  whites  of  the 
South,  who  were  nick-named  the  scalawags,  who  assisted  the  carpet 
baggers  in  ruling  the  South,  all  of  whom,  however,  were  under  the  eyes 
of  the  military  generals,  each  of  whom  was  placed  in  command  of  one 
of  the  States,  and  these  generals  in  turn  worked  hand  in  hand  along 
with  an  assistant  commissioner  of  the  Freedman's  Bureau,  Major- 
General  O.  O.  Howard,  at  Washington,  being  the  chief  commissioner^ 
and  one  of  the  best  men  that  ever  lived. 

Immediately  after  the  close  of  the  war,  many  of  the  more  pro 
nounced  rebels  retired  abroad,  where  they  found  employment  in  for 
eign  armies,  or  more  peaceful  occupations.  They  had  no  heart  for  any 
further  rule  under  the  flag  of  Uncle  Sam,  which  now,  indeed,  floated 
freely  over  all  races  of  people  from  the  Lakes  to  the  Gulf.  For  such 
arch-rebels  the  Sunny  South  was  a  home  no  moire.  But  many  of  the 
late  rebel  leaders  preferred  to  stay  at  home  and  take  their  chance,  hop 
ing  for  mercy  and  pardon  from  the  Northern  government,  which  they 
had  so  terribly  outraged.  As  a  general  thing  they  were  cross-vexed 
and  sullen,  and  had  no  heart  whatever  for  the  reconstruction  of  the 
Southern  states,  which  was  entirely  conducted  by  legislatures,  com 
posed  of  loyal  Southerners  and  colored  men,  all  of  whom  were  duly 
elected.  These  colored  men  were  in  all  the  lower  houses  of  legislature, 
while  in  some  of  the  States  they  were  also  in  the  Senate,  and  in  a  few 
of  the  States  they  filled  the  office  of  deputy-governor.  The  heads  and 
leaders  of  the  late  rebellion  showed  no.  disposition  to  lend  a  hand ;  they 
allowed  the  military  and  civil  administrators  to  take  their  own  way,  as 
sisted  as  the  latter  were  by  the  colored  senators  and  representatives  in 
the  State  legislature,  carpet-baggers  and  scalawags. 

Whilst  no  doubt  all  of  the  above  were  doing  the  best  they  knew 
how,  the  entire  race  of  4,000,000  of  freedmen  had  recovered  from  their 
dance  of  new  and  glorious  liberty ;  had  opened  their  eyes  to  the  stern 
realities  of  the  changed  situation,  and  settled  down  to  steady  work  all 
over  the  land.  Many  of  them  crowded  into  the  towns,  cities  and  vil 
lages,  while  a  host  of  others  went  to  work  over  all  the  plantations  and 
farms — some  working  on  shares  with  their  former  masters,  whilst 
others  farmed  their  own  lands,  and  did  wonderfully.  Many  a  brave 
old  "prophecy"  had  been  uttered  that  the  descendants  of  Africans  were 


140  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

unfit  for  the  pursuits  of  freedom,  and  that  the  whole  freed  race  would 
fall  to  pieces  like  a  ship  on  the  sands ;  but  the  race  went  steadily  to 
work,  and  with  some  aid  from  the  Freedman's  Bureau,  they  prospered 
from  the  very  beginning.  In  short,  the  people  now  fairly  began  to  see 
the  beauties  of  personal  liberty,  and  they  had  a  mind  to  work.  The 
American  Government,  however,  never  did  a  better  thing  than  to  es 
tablish  that  bureau,  without  the  aid  of  which  entire  legions  of  colored 
and  white  people  must  inevitably  have  perished. 

All  things,  however,  did  not  work  satisfactorily,  and  under  the 
crooked  circumstances  perhaps  that  was  more  than  was  to  be  expected. 
Throughout  the  entire  South  the  system  of  working  on  shares  was  not 
in  favor  of  the  redeemed  race  in  many  cases.  The  wThite  man  had  got 
a  notion  in  his  head  that  he  had  been  cheated  out  of  his  rights,  and  that 
somehow  or  other,  the  former  slave  still  of  right  belonged  to  him. 
Some  of  them  therefore  thought  themselves  privileged  in  beating  the 
ireedman  out  of  the  fruits  of  their  toil  in  every  possible  way.  If  such 
white  men  were  thus  aggrieved  over  the  new  order  of  things,  their 
wives  were  worse,  and  could  find  no  one  to  comfort  them !  The  slave 
was  now,  at  least,  as  free  as  themselves,  and  there  was  no  power  in  the 
land  to  force  him  back  to  his  former  condition.  So  they  took  their 
spite  out  of  him  by  cheating  him  on  the  division  of  the  crops,  and  he 
was  obliged  either  to  stay  on  the  lands  and  be  imposed  upon,  or  leave 
at  a  loss.  The  public  papers  were  full  of  the  freedman's  complaints  at 
the  time.  One  way  of  defrauding  him  who  did  all  the  hard  work 
was  to  open  a  general  store  for  the  sale  of  all  kinds  of  groceries  and 
other  needful  things.  The  accounts  were  cooked  and  managed  in  a 
way  to  suit  the  bosses,  and  almost  everything  was  charged  for  far 
above  the  general  prices  of  the  country.  Thus,  when  the  day  of  settle 
ment  came,  the  laborer  usually  found  himself  from  $50  to  $200  in  debt, 
owing  to  the  system  of  thieving  practiced  on  him  by  his  betrayer. 
The  Southern  people  generally  were  sullen,  and  almost  inconsolable 
under  the  new  order  of  things,  and  they  refused  to  be  comforted  for 
a  long  time.  Indeed,  some  of  them  are  not  comforted  yet,  and  never 
v/ill  be.  Andrew  Jothnson,  the  President,  did  much  harm  in  contending 
for  the  rebels  in  every  way  in  his  power.  In  fact,  he  went  right  over 
to  them,  and  even  obstructed  Reconstruction  itself  in  every  way  that 
3ie  could. 


HISTOKICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  141 

This  sullenness  on  the  part  of  the  Southerners  at  last  found  vent 
in  the  organization  of  a  secret  and  murderous  conspiracy  called  the 
Ku-Klux-Klan — whoever  was  guilty  of  inventing  such  an  ugl>  name  I 
This  Ku-Klux-Klan  reached  for  their  shotguns,  and  went  forth  by 
night,  and  shot  down  the  carpet-baggers  and  their  like,  like  crows.  This 
was  soon  after  the  first  election  of  President  Grant,  an  election,  by 
the  by,  in  which  the  rebels  took  no  part,  but  they  now  determined  to 
spoil  that  which  they  were  unwilling  to  mend.  These  wicked  Ku- 
Klux  sought  to  obstruct  the  courts  of  justice,  harass  and  trouble  the 
colored  people  in  every  possible  way,  and  cripple  the  local  govern 
ments.  The  terror  that  spread  all  over  the  South  at  the  time  was  per 
fectly  dreadful.  People  were  shot  down  everywhere,  colored  churches 
and  school-houses  were  burned  to  the  ground  in  the  night,  and  the 
work  of  revenge  and  destruction  went  on  night  and  day.  It  seemed 
as  if  the  late  rebel  soldiers,  whoi  had  been  beaten  in  the  field  by  the 
North,  were  once  more  trying  to  raise  a  rebellion  in  a  new  form.  The 
writ  of  habeas  corpus  was  suspended  for  a  time,  and  Uncle  Sam  put 
his  heavy  foot  down  upon  the  whole  matter.  The  powers  of  the  day 
went  forth ;  arrests  were  made ;  the  trials  and  convictions  of  many  of 
those  bad  men  were  secured,  and  some  of  the  penitentiaries  were  filled 
with  the  enemies  of  law  and  order.  Then  for  a  time,  at  least,  followed 
a  pause  in  the  obstructing  work  of  the  reconstruction  of  the  late  re 
bellious  States,  and  the  governments  by  colored  legislators,  scalawags 
and  carpet-baggers  went  on  as  before.  How  much  better  it  would 
have  been  if  all  parties,  both  white  and  black,  had  been  harmonious 
and  agreeable  after  Lee  surrendered  at  Appomattox  Court  House ! 
But  instead  of  that  the  defeated  rebel  went  home,  nursed  his  wrath  to 
keep  it  warm.  Robbing  and  stealing  from  the  injured  freedmen  follow 
ed,  and  then  he  went  out  working  mischief  after  dark  with  the  aid  of 
his  shotgun. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Reconstruction  in  the  South — Great  Progress  in  Education — The  Fif 
teenth  Amendment — Message  of  President  Grant — Certificate  of 
Mr.  Secretary  Fish  Regarding  the  Same — Great  Joy  Over 
Amendment — It  Goes  to  Work. 

General  Grant  had  been  elected  President  of  the  United  States  in 
1868  for  his  first  term  of  office.  In  1872  he  carried  the  Southern 
States  once  more.  He  met  with  but  little  opposition  in  the  South 
Colored  lieutenant-governors  were  elected  in  Louisiana,  Mississippi 
and  South  Carolina,  in  which  three  States  the  colored  population  is  far 
greater  than  the  white.  The  States  of  Alabama,  Georgia,  Florida, 
Louisiana,  Mississippi  and  South  Carolina  had  colored  men  in  their 
Houses  of  Representatives,  and  Mississippi  had  them  also  in  her  Sen 
ate  House.  Many  of  the  most  important  offices  in  the  Southern  States 
were  held  by  men  of  color.  But  by  the  year  1875  the  white  leaders  in 
the  Republican  party  had  become  intimidated  by  the  Ku-Klux-Klan, 
and  were  quite  driven  out  oar  destroyed  by  that  deadly  shot-gun . 
Thus  the  colored  men  in  the  legislatures  were  abandoned  to  their  fate, 
and  the  presence  of  the  United  States  Army  became  necessary  to  sup 
port  them  at  elections,  whilst  they  held  office,  and  carried  on  the  State 
governments.  The  whole  South  was  in  a  bad  way,  and  things  had 
gone  on  from  bad  to  worse.  The  sullen  and  stubborn  leaders  of  the 
late  rebellion  had  refused  to  lend  a  hand  in  building  up  the  State  gov 
ernments  once  more,  which  they  had  torn  down,  and  the  Northern 
government  of  the  whole  nation  had  committed  the  reconstruction  of 
the  late  rebel  States  to  hands  as  yet  far  too  feeble  at  such  a  time,  and 
that  was,  namely,  to  colored  men,  many  of  whom  had  little  experience 
before  with  carpet-baggers  and  scalawags.  At  the  same  time  there  did 
not  seem  to  be  any  others  whoi  could  be  trusted  by  the  national  govern 
ment  to  carry  on  the  business  of  the  Southern  States.  Even  colored 
men,  carpet-baggers  and  scalawags  were  either  heartily  or  formally 
Republicans,  and  could  be  trusted  by  the  Washington  authorities  in 
acting  loyally  and  faithfully  in  the  discharge  of  their  duties  at  least. 


HISTOKICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  143 

1  am  unable  to  see  how  the  Washington  government  can  be  much 
blamed  for  committing  the  care  of  the  Southern  States  to  hands  so 
feeble,  so  long  as  there  did  not  seem  to  be  anybody  else  to  rule,  and 
the  late  rebels  themselves  were  still  in  too  sullen  a  mood  to  lend  a 
hand  in  the  governments. 

But  during  all  these  unhappy  years  that  followed  the  close  of  the 
\var  there  was  one  thing  that  did  not  miscarry,  and  that  was  the  great 
march  of  the  emancipated  slaves  on  the  road  to  progress,  and  every 
thing  that  tends  to  elevate  and  ennoble  a  nation.  The  fostering  na 
tional  government,  the  churches  of  the  North,  and  all  that  which  was 
best  in  this  great  republic,  were  straining  themselves  to  the  very  ut 
most  to  lift  up  the  entire  redeemed  race  by  affording  them  the  best 
education  that  they  could  possibly  bestow.  Teachers  still  flocked 
clown  from  the  North  in  great  numbers,  all  kinds  of  schools  were  op 
ened,  and  institutes  and  colleges  were  set  on  float  for  the  benefit  of  the 
boys  and  girls,  and  young  men  and  young  women,  who  wished  to  at 
tend  them.  There  was  no  branch  of  education  that  was  not  supplied  to 
the  white  race  that  was  not  also  supplied  to  the  colored.  And  not  only 
did  children  and  youths  attend  those  schools,  but  even  men  and 
women ;  parents  and  grandparents  in  thousands  took  up  their  spelling- 
books  and  first  readers,  and  went  to  work  with  a  hearty  good  will,  and 
learned  to  read,  write  and  spell  with  great  rapidity.  The  progress  that 
the  emancipated  race  made  in  the  line  of  education  was  perfectly  mar 
velous,  and  astonished  the  whole  nation.  Even  old  preachers,  who 
had  been  preaching  the  gospel  for  fifty  years,  went  to  work  and  learn 
ed  how  to  read  the  Bible ;  they  learned  how  to  write  letters  and  work 
arithmetic  for  the  first  time  in  their  lives.  It  had  been  charged  often 
enough  that  the  colored  race  were  unfitted  by  nature  to  learn  this, 
that  and  other  things.  The  studied  policy  of  the  slaveholders  was, 
not  to  give  them  a  chance,  and  then  to  tell  a  willful  falsehood.  But 
now  that  all  were  free,  they  rushed  in  at  once,  and  showed  the  whole 
world  that  they  were  as  capable  of  learning  as  any  other  race  under 
the  sun.  Nay,  more !  They  even  crossed  the  oceans,  and  were  recog 
nized  by  all  the  nations  on  the  face  of  the  earth ! 

Nor  did  the  people  only  learn  how  to  read,  write  and  work  arith 
metic,  but  all  kinds  of  industrial  schools  were  started  throughout  the 
South ;  first  in  one  place,  then  in  another,  so  that  the  young  men  learn- 


144  HISTOKICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

ed  different  trades,  and  thus  qualified  themselves  to  learn  a  living-  in 
coming  years.  And  they  not  only  learned,  but  they  learned  well,  were 
ambitious  to  excel,  took  naturally  to  it,  and  earned  the  good  will  and 
praise  of  their  teachers.  In  short,  after  the  war  was  over,  the  South 
was  both  cursed  and  blessed  by  a  race  of  "volunteers,"  who  came 
down  from  the  North,  and  whose  mission  was  to  take  advantage  of 
the  new  state  of  things.  The  curse  came  in  with  those  carpet-baggers, 
who  came  to  take  all  they  could  get,  and  hold  on  as  long  as  ever  they 
could.  It  is  true  that  they  were  not  all  bad,  for  indeed  they  ran  all 
the  way  from  good  to  middling.  But  they  have  generally  been  looked 
upon  as  a  set  of  rapacious  men,  who  came  down  to  help  themselves 
first,  last  and  all  the  time  ;  and  when  all  was  done,  if  anybody  else  could 
he  benefitted  by  them,  so  much  the  better ! 

But  with  the  teachers  things  were  altogether  different.  They  can 
in  no  sense  be  compared  with  the  carpet-baggers,  for  they  were  a 
perfect  blessing — all  of  them,  or  nearly  all,  being  "volunteers"  for  the 
South,  and  for  the  benefit  of  freedmen,  and  for  them  alone.  They 
were  sent  forth,  as  I  have  stated  before,  by  the  churches  and  societies 
of  the  North,  and  the  national  government  encouraged  them  and  their 
efforts  in  every  possible  way.  And  not  only  were  public  schools  set  on 
foot  all  over  the  land,  but  there  were  a  great  many  who  opened  private 
schools,  and  thus  the  work  went  merrily  on.  And  the  walls  of  the  new 
educational  structure  began  to  rise  rapidly  on  all  sides,  "for  the  people 
had  a  mind  to  work,"  and,  as  the  ancient  Romans  said,  "Labor  con 
quers  all  things." 

And  even  to  the  very  day  and  time  whilst  I  am  now  writing,  I 
have  great  pleasure  in  informing  my  kind  reader  that  the  work  goes 
on,  and  still  goes  on  well.  Beginning  gradually  at  the  close  of  the 
war,  nay,  I  might  almost  say,  in  some  places  before  the  close  of  the 
war — schools  and  colleges  for  all  studies  were  set  on  foot,  either  South 
or  North,  some  for  the  training  of  young  colored  men  and  women, 
who  were  destined  to  become  teachers  of  their  own  race  throughout 
the  land ;  some  were  institutes  or  colleges  for  the  study  of  law,  medi 
cine,  music,  elocution  and  a  variety  of  other  subjects.  And  the  work 
still  continues  and  extends  in  all  directions,  and  promises  to  unfold  it 
self  more  and  more  as  the  years  go  by.  At  the  present  time  there  are 
many  beautiful  private  schools  and  seminaries  in  many  parts  of  the 


FIRST  READING  EMANCIPATION  PROCLAMATION. 
DE  SOTO  DISCOVERING  MISSISSIPPI  RIVER. 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  145 

South  where  young  colored  ladies  exclusively  are  sent  to  be  educated,, 
and  they  are  splendidly  educated,  too.  And  inasmuch  as  the  colored 
race  are  born  to  exc£l  in  music,  many  of  them  have  come  to  the  frontr 
and  in  the  departments  of  music  and  song  they  have  shone  brightly  in 
the  nation,  and  in  distant  lands  also,  where  they  have  no  prejudice  to 
contend  with.  But  though  the  color  line  has  by  no  means  been  wiped 
out  yet,  even  in  the  Northern  States,  it  must  in  all  fairness  be  stated 
that  colored  youths  and  maidens  are  freely  permitted  to  pursue  their 
studies  in  almost  all  the  schools  and  colleges  of  the  land ;  and  it  is  only 
where  race  prejudice  exists,  and  the  last  dregs  thereof  prevail,  that  the 
children  of  African  descent  are  barred  from  entering.  But  time 
changes  all  things ;  God  alone  cannot  be  changed — new  generations- 
will  arise  who  will  entirely  sweep  the  evilj)ast  away! 

The  Thirteenth  and  Fourteenth  Amendments  to  the  Constitution 
had  been  passed,  securing  the  race  in  their  personal  and  civil  rights 
as  freemen  before  the  common  law  of  the  United  States  ;  but  as  yet  col 
ored  men  could  not  vote,  and  the  Republican  party,  as  a  just  and  de 
fensive  measure,  considered  that  it  would  be  well  to  arm  those  who  had' 
formerly  been  slaves  with  all  the  rights  of  citizens,  even  as  others. 
This  brought  up  the  question  of  a  new  amendment  to  the  Constitution. 
It  was  to  be  a  new  dress  in  which  the  new  citizens  were  to  be  clothed 
before  the  work  was  complete.  There  was  opposition  enough  to  this 
in  some  quarters ;  of  course,  it  never  was  once  intended  to  ask  such 
men  as  Jefferson  Davis  and  Robert  E.  Lee  for  their  consent.  Even  if 
many  of  the  colored  men  were  uneducated,  they  were  as  good,  if  not 
better,  than  a  wicked  and  intelligent  rebel.  The  rebels  (as  they  were 
still  commonly  called),  would  rather  pull  the  national  government 
down  to  the  ground  than  restore  it,  but  the  entire  ransomed  race  de 
sired  to  build  it  up.  Politically,  and  also  from  a  sense  of  gratitude 
for  their  freedom,  they  belonged  to  the  Republican  party,  and  there 
fore  they  were  perfectly  right  in  siding  with  the  Republicans  on  every 
and  all  occasions.  Besides,  the  right  for  colored  men  to  vote  was  bound 
to  come  forward  sometime  or  other,  and  it  might  just  as  well  come 
now  as  hereafter.  Ignorance  on  their  part  was  much  better  than  the 
studied  opposition  on  the  part  of  the  rebels.  And  I  doubt  very  much 
whether  the  most  illiterate  colored  man  did  not  know  more  about  the 
American  Constitution  than  those  ignorant  hordes  of  Europeans  who 


146  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

are  almost  weekly  dumped  down  on  our  shores,  who  neither  know  nor 
care  anything  about  our  Constitution,  and  who  never  even  heard  of 
the  name  of  George  Washington.  If  this  was  not  so  serious  a  matter,  T 
could  almost  laugh  at  the  thought  of  the  ignorance  of  those  foreigners. 

Besides,  if  colored  men  were  in  many  cases  unfit  for  the  franchise, 
it  was  no  bad  thing  to  give  it  them  at  once  anyhow,  because  it  would 
stimulate  the  nation  at  large  to  push  their  complete  education  along, 
-and  the  race  themselves  would  now  have  a  far  more  powerful  motive 
to  acquire  knowledge  than  they  had  ever  had  before.  Therefore,  there 
was  a  very  great  deal  of  interest  taken  by  the  nation  at  large  in  the  pas 
sage  of  the  new  amendment  to  the  Constitution  that  was  destined  to 
place  black  men  upon  the  self-same  footing  with  white  men.  The  white 
Republicans  also  considered  that  they  were  indebted  to  colored  sol 
diers  for  the  restoration  of  the  Union  to  the  tune  of  at  least  200,000 
brave,  heroic  men,  and  that  they  owed  them  the  right  to  vote. 

The  necessary  three-fourths  of  all  the  States  of  the  Union  having 
voted  in  their  legislatures  in  favor  of  the  passage  of  the  new  amendment 
to  the  Constitution,  President  Grant  deemed  the  new  measure  of  such 
vast  importance  that  he  went  out  of  the  usual  mode  adopted  upon  such 
occasions,  and  addressed  the  following  special  message  on  the  subject 
to  Congress,  for  the  purpose  of  still  further  enhancing  its  importance 
in  the  eyes  of  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives,  and,  in  short, 
of  the  whole  American  people : 

SPECIAL  MESSAGE  OF  PRESIDENT  GRANT  ON  THE  RATIFICATION  OF 
THE  FIFTEENTH  AMENDMENT. 

To  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives: 

It  is  unusual  to  notify  the  two  houses  of  Congress,  by  message,  of 
the  promulgation  by  proclamation  of  the  Secretary  of  State  of  the  ratifi 
cation  of  a  Constitutional  Amendment.  In  view,  however,  of  the  vast  im 
portance  of  the  Fifteenth  Amendment  to  the  Constitution  this  day  declared 
a  part  of  the  revered  instrument.  I  deem  a  departure  from  the  usual  cus 
tom  justifiable.  A  measure  which  makes  at  once  four  millions  of  people 
voters,  who  were  heretofore  declared  by  the  highest  tribunal  in  the  land 
not  citizens  of  the  United  States,  nor  eligible  to  become  so  (with  the  as 
sertion  that,  at  the  time  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  the  opinion 
was  fixed  and  universal  in  the  civilized  portion  of  the  white  race,  regarded 
as  an  axiom  in  morals  as  well  as  politics,  that  black  men  had  no  rights 
which  the  white  man  was  bound  to  respect)  is  indeed  a  measure  of  grander 


• 

I 

HISTOUU '\L   ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGKu.  147 

importance  than  any  other  one  act  of  the  kind  from  the  foundation  of  our 
free  government  to  the  present  day. 

Institutions  like  ours,  in  which  all  power  is  derived  directly  from  the 
people,  must  depend  mainly  upon  their  intelligence,  patriotism,  and  in 
dustry.  1  call  the  attention,  therefore,  of  the  newly-enfranchised  race  to 
the  importance  of  their  new  privilege.  To  the  race  more  favored  hereto 
fore  by  our  laws,  I  would  say,  withhold  no  legal  privilege  of  advancement 
to  the  new  citizen.  The  framers  of  our  Constitution  firmly  believed  that 
a  republican  government  could  not  endure  without  intelligence  and  educa 
tion  generally  diffused  among  the  people.  The  "Father  of  his  country,"  in 
his  farewell  address,  uses  this  language,  "Promote,  then,  as  a  matter  of 
primary  importance,  institutions  for  the  general  diffusion  of  knowledge. 
In  proportion  as  the  structure  of  the  government  gives  force  to  public 
opinion,  it  is  essential  that  public  opinion  should  be  enlightened."  In  his 
first  annual  message  to  Congress,  the  same  views  are  forcible  presented, 
and  are  again  urged  in  his  eighth  message. 

I  repeat  that  the  adoption  of  the  Fifteenth  Amendment  to  the  Con 
stitution  completes  the  greatest  civil  change  and  constitutes  the  most 
important  event  that  has  occurred  since  the  nation  came  into  life.  The 
change  will  be  beneficial  in  proportion  to  the  need  that  is  given  to  the 
urgent  recommendations  of  Washington.  If  these  recommendations  were 
important  then,  with  a  population  of  but  a  few  millions,  how  much  more 
now  with  a  population  of  forty  millions,  and  increasing  in  rapid  ratio. 

I  would  therefore  call  upon  Congress  to  take  all  the  means  within 
their  Constitutional  power  to  promote  and  encourage  popular  education 
throughout  the  country;  and  upon  the  people  everywhere  to  see  to  it  that 
all  who  possess  and  exercise  political  rights  shall  have  the  opportunity 
to  acquire  the  knowledge  which  will  make  their  share  in  the  government 
a  blessing  and  not  a  danger.  By  such  means  only  can  the  benefits  con 
templated  by  this  amendment  to  the  Constitution  be  secured. 

Executive  Mansion,  March  30,  1870.  U.  S.  GRANT. 

On  account  of  the  vast  importance  of  the  Fifteenth  Amendment 
to  the  Constitution,  and  its  direct  bearing  upon  the  elevation  of  the 
colored  race,  and  the  immediate  amelioration  of  their  condition,  I  will 
here  append  the  certificate  of  Mr.  Secretary  Fish  respecting  ratifica 
tion  of  the  Fifteenth  Amendment  to  the  Constitution,  March  30/1870: 

Hamilton  Fish,  Secretary  of  State  of  the  United  States. 
To  all  to  whom  these  presents  may  come,  greeting, 

Know  ye  that  the  Congress  of  the  United  States,  on  or  about  the  27th 
day  of  February,  in  the  year  1869,  passed  a  resolution  in  the  words  and 
figures  following,  to  wit: 


148  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

A  resolution  proposing  an  amendment  to  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States. 

Resolved,  P.y  the  Senate  and  House  of  IlepivseMtativrs  of  the  United 
States  of  America,  in  Congress  assembled  (two  thirds  of  both  houses  con 
curring-,)  That  the  following-  article  be  proposed  to  the  legislature,  shall  be 
valid  as  part  of  the  Constitution,  namely, 

Section  1.  The  right  of  citizens  of  the  United  States  to  vote  shall 
not  be  denied  or  abridged  by  the  United  States,  or  by  any  State,  on  account 
ol  race,  color,  or  previous  condition  of  servitude. 

Section  2.  The  Congress  shall  have  power  to  enforce  this  article  by 
appropriate  legislation. 

And,  Further,  that  it  appears,  from  official  documents  on  file  in  this 
department,  that  'the  amendment  to  the  Constitution  of  the  United  Statr.-. 
proposed  as  aforesaid,  has  been  ratified  by  the  legislatures  of  the  States 
of  North  Carolina,  West  Virginia,  Massachusetts,  Wisconsin,  Maine,  Louisi 
ana,  Michigan,  South  Carolina.  Pennsylvania,  Arkansas,  Connect ic-ut.  Flori 
da,  Illinois,  Indiana,  New  York,  New  Hampshire,  Nevada,  Vermont,  Vir 
ginia,  Alabama,  Missouri,  Mississippi,  Ohio,  Iowa,  Kansas,  Minnesota,  Rhode 
Island,  Nebraska,  and  Texas,  in  all,  twenty-nine  States. 

And,  Further,  that  the  States  whose  legislatures  have  so  ratified  the 
said  proposed  amendment  constitute  three-fourths  of  the  whole  number 
of  States  in  the  United  States. 

And,  Further,  that  it  appears,  from  an  official  document  on  file  in 
this  department,  that  the  legislature  of  the  State  of  New  York  has  since 
passed  resolutions  claiming  to  withdraw  the  said  ratification  o<f  the  said 
amendment,  which  had  been  made  by  the  legislature  of  that  State,  and  of 
which  official  notice  had  been  filed  in  the  department. 

And,  Further,  that  it  appears  from  an  official  document  on  file  in 
this  department,  that  the  legislature  of  Georgia  has  by  resofution  ratified 
the  said  proposed  amendment. 

Now,  therefore,  be  it  known,  that  I,  Hamilton  Fish,  Secretary  of  S 
of  the  United  States,  by  virtue  and  in  pursuance  of  the  Second  Section  of 
the  Act  of  Congress,  approved  the  20th  day  of  April,  1818,  entitled,  An  act 
to  provide  for  the  publication  of  the  Laws  of  the  United  States,  and  for 
other  purposes,  do  hereby  certify  that  the  amendment  aforesaid  has  be 
come  valid,  to  all  intents  and  purposes,  as  part  of  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States. 

In-  testimony  whereof,  I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand,  and  caused  the 
seal  of  the  Department  of  State  to  be  affixed. 

Done  at  the  City  of  Washington,  this  20th  day  of  March,  in  the  year 
of  our  Lord,  eighteen  hundred  and  seventy;  and  of  the  Independence  of  the 
United  States  the  ninety-fourth. 

SEAL.  HAMILTON  FISH. 


HISTORICAL   liOMANCK  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  149 

Thus,  as  will  be  seen  above,  the  ever-glorious  Fifteenth  Amend 
ment  became  a  part  of  the  American  Constitution,  and  the  same  was 
made  known  to  the  remotest  bounds  of  the  Republic. 

"Arise,  shine  forth,  for  thy  light  has  come,  and  the  glory  of  the 
Lord  has  risen  upon  thee !"  Such  is  the  language  of  Holy  Scripture, 
and  it  expresses  well  the  sudden  outburst  of  the  joy  that  filled  the 
hearts  of  the  entire  colored  race  when  the  Fifteenth  Amendment  be 
came  the  law  of  the  land.  Then,  indeed,  did  the  colored  soldier  feel 
that  he  had  a  country,  and  that  he  had  not  fought  and  bled  in  vain  for 
the  cause  of  freedom  and  the  Union !  Then  did  all  colored  men  and 
women  feel,  indeed,  that  they  were  men  and  women  among  other  full- 
fledged  citizens  of  the  United  States !  Then  did  they  feel,  in  the  cele 
brated  words  of  Robert  Burns,  the  Scotch  poet,  that  "An  honest  man, 
though  e'er  so  poor,  is  king  of  men  for  all  that !"  If  the  Emancipation 
Proclamation  called  forth  a  tremendous  flood  of  thankfulness  and 
gratitude,  if  even  the  fall  of  Richmond  and  the  freeing  of  the  last  slave 
called  for  shouts  of  joy  and  rejoicing,  much  more — yea,  ten  times  more 
— did  the  publication  of  the  Fifteenth  Amendment  exercise  the  entire 
redeemed  race  from  the  very  bottom  of  their  hearts !  Their  forefathers 
liad  been  stolen  away  from  Africa ;  they  had  been  brought  here.  This 
was  their  home,  such  as  it  was.  They  had  no  other  country  but  the 
United  States.  Now,  the  new  amendment  to  the  Constitution  had  put 
the  right  to  vote  into  their  hands,  the  same  as  others — just  the  same 
as  others,  and  they  most  loyally  sent  up  a  shout  of  joy  that  reached 
from  Maine  to  the  Rio  Grande  river,  and  that  shout  arose  to  Heaven 
and  entered  into  the  ears  of  the  celestials. 

Where,  now,  was  the  doctrine,  indeed,  "That  the  descendants  of 
the  African  race  had  no  rights  that  a  white  man  was  bound  to  respect  ?" 
Who  ever  gave  "the  white  man"  the  right  to  use  such  language,  un 
less  it  was  wickedly  presumed  by  his  own  presumptuous  and  lying  ar 
rogance  ?  The  white  race  only  compose  a  small  portion  of  the  human 
race.  According  to  tradition,  Adam  was  as  brown  as  a  bun ;  and  cer 
tainly  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ  must-  have  been  a  very  dark- 
complexioned  man  ?  Does  anybody  mean  to  say  that  Adam  and  the 
Lord  Jesus  had  no  right  to  be  respected  because  they  were  as  brown 
as  a  bun  in  complexion  ?  Like  the  so-called  "divine  right  of 
kings,"  such  language  was  nothing  but  a  wilful  and  deliberate  false- 


150  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  Nl^GRO. 

hood,  for  the  entire  race  of  man  have  rights  to  be  respected — the  one 
as  much  as  the  other.  How  passeth  away  the  glory  of  this  world  ? 
Behold  your  millions  of  people  gloriously  set  free,  and  after  a  long  and 
fearful  war  pronounced  full-fledged  citizens,  even  as  others !  If  the 
ransomed  race  formerly  rejoiced  when  they  felt  their  bodily  chains  fall 
off,  much  more  did  they  rejoice  when  they  were  invested  with  the  same 
rights  as  the  rest  of  the  American  nation,  and  could  vote  like  the  free 
men  that  they  were !  It  is  true  that  in  the  sight  of  God  and  all  justice 
(both  divine  and  human)  they  were  always  men,  they  had  always 
rights  that  other  men  were  bound  to  respect,  but  now  we  had  the  full 
confession  of  those  rights  from  all  the  rest  of  our  own  compatriots,, 
who  fully  and  freely  admitted,  that  all  their  rights  were  ours  al^- 
and  justice,  though  long  delayed,  was  done  at  last ! 

The  colored  people  were  mow  in  full  possession  of  their  political 
rights  for  the  first  time,  and  many  new  things  happened  that  passed 
for  a  great  wonder  in  the  history  of  the  nation.  Hiram  B.  Revels  took 
his  seat  as  United  States  Senator  for  Mississippi  on  the  25th  of  Febru 
ary,  1870.  It  was  from  the  self-same  State  that  Jefferson  Davis  hailed, 
for  he  was  Senator  for  Mississippi  until  he  resigned  his  seat  and  went 
out  with  the  rest  of  the  rebels.  Nine  brief  years  had  passed  away; 
for  four  and  a  half  years  the  civil  war  had  raged ;  the  curse  of  slavery 
had  disappeared  from  the  land,  and  now  came  Hiram  B.  Revels  from 
Mississippi,  from  which  the  head  of  the  Southern  Confederacy  had 
come  in  former  days  !  Most  assuredly  this  was  the  Lord's  work,  and  it 
was  wondrous  in  our  eyes ! 

It  was  just  one  year  from  the  day  and  hour  when  Senator  Revels 
took  his  seat  in  the  United  States  Senate  that  Jefferson  F.  Long,  also 
a  colored  man,  was  sworn  in  as  a  membenof  the  House  of  Representa 
tives  from  the  State  of  Georgia — the  State  of  Alexander  H.  Stephens, 
who  had  been  vice-president  of  the  late  Confederate  States !  It  was 
that  same  Stephens  who  had  put  forth  the  idea  in  a  speech  of  his  own, 
immediately  after  he  was  made  vice-president,  that  slavery  should  be 
the  corner-stone  of  the  new  government  of  Secessia! 

Then  the  United  States  Government  sent  E.  D.  Bassett,  a  colored 
man  from  Pennsylvania,  as  Minister-Resident  and  Consul-General  to- 
the  Republic  of  Hayti,  in  the  West  Indies.  This  was  carrying  things 
on  at  quite  a  lively  rate,  indeed.  Nor  was  this  all.  President  Grant 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  151 

then  turned  around,  and  sent  J.  Milton  Turner,  a  colored  man  from 
Missouri,  as  Minister-Resident  and  Consul-General  to  the  Republic  of 
Liberia,  in  Western  Africa.  It  is  true  that  Hayti  and  Liberia  are  not 
nations  of  the  first  rank  in  power  and  population,  but  they  are  at  least 
as  respectable  as  any,  and  the  time  must  yet  come  when  ambassadors 
of  the  colored  race  will  be  appointed  to  the  first  nations  on  earth. 
President  Grant  was  at  least  making  a  good  beginning,  and  as  he  had 
been  a  soldier,  like  the  lion,  he  had  nothing  to  fear ! 

About  this  time  Frederick  Douglass  had  been  made  a  Presidential 
Elector  for  the  great  Empire  State  of  New  York,  and  he  helped  to 
cast  the  vote  for  that  State  for  General  Grant  upon  his  election  for  the 
second  term,  in  1872.  Times  were  indeed  mightily  changed  with  Fred 
erick  Douglass  since  he  was  a  young  man,  and  fled  away  from  Balti 
more  in  the  disguise  of  a  sailor,  passing  through  New  York  City, 
which  was  then  almost  as  much  opposed  to  freedom  of  the  slaves  as  the 
State  of  Georgia. 

Well  does  the  English  poet  say,  "Slavery  there  has  lost  the  day !" 
The  ballot  was  now  in  the  hands  of  the  colored  man  as  well  as  others. 
He  had  tilled  the  fertile  soil  of  the  United  States  for  two  hundred  and 
fifty  years;  he  had  now  lent  a  vigorous  hand  in  three  wars,  and  had 
compeltely  won  his  right  and  title  to  full-fledged  citizenship,  with  all 
the  honors  and  powers  that  it  carries  with  it.  All  Abolitionists  and 
true-hearted  Republicans  rejoiced  at  the  spectacle,  whilst  the  late  arch- 
rebels  and  others  of  that  ilk  were  depressed  at  the  changes ! 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

Joyful  Demonstrations  Over  the  Fifteenth  Amendment — Processions 
in  all  the  Cities  of  the  Land — Departure  for  Louisville,  Ky. — The 
Journey  Thither — The  River  Ohio — Great  Celebration — The 
Week  at  Louisville — The  Return  to  Buffalo. 

My  dear,  kind  reader,  as  I  have  already  indicated,  the  eventful 
Tear  of  1870  had  come,  and  the  Fifteenth  Amendment  had  become  the 
law  of  the  land.  From  Maine  to  Texas,  from  the  wild  Atlantic  waves 
to  the  Coast  of  the  Pacific  Ocean,  the  entire  colored  race  abandoned 
themselves  to  the  most  unbounded  demonstration  of  joy  and  delight. 
I  never  saw  the  tide  of  delight  running  so  high  either  before  or  since, 
.as  upon  this  most  august  occasion.  Great  mass-meetings,  immense 
processions,  music,  dancing,  religious  meetings  for  sacred  song,  pray 
er  and  praise  were  the  order  of  the  night  and  of  the  day.  Indeed,  there 
was  no  outward  form  of  joy  and  rejoicing  that  can  either  be  conceived 
or  described,  that  was  not  observed  upon  this  glorious  occasion.  We 
read  in  the  Book  of  Esther  about  the  joy  of  the  whole  Jewish  nation, 
when  they  were  all  saved  by  the  Lord  from  the  wicked  plots  and 
schemes  of  the  evil-minded  Haman — the  Jew's  enemy.  So  great,  in 
deed,  was  the  impression  produced  upon  the  heart  of  God's  ancient 
people  that  the  feast  of  Purim  is  still  kept  up  in  commemoration  of 
that  terrible  crisis  through  which  all  Israel  had  to  pass.  We  ourselves — 
the  colored  race  in  America — had  had  our  experiences  in  times  past,  as 
bad  or  worse  than  the  Israelites  of  old.  It  was  now  five  full  years  since 
Ihe  close  of  the  war ;  we  had  had  five  years  of  national  freedom  ;  slavery 
here  had  lost  the  day;  we  could  now  vote  like  any  other  race,  and 
therefore  the  free  exercise  of  the  self-same  power  was  placed  in  our 
hands ;  the  spring  of  1870  was  come,  when  the  entire  colored  race 
abandoned  themselves  to  singing,  dancing  and  rejoicing  in  all  ways 
in  general ;  and,  indeed,  they  had  good  cause  and  the  right  to  rejoice, 
for  they  had  waited  a  long  time  for  it,  and  their  patience  had  been 
sorely  tried.  Justice  was  long  in  coming,  but  it  came  at  last. 

In  all  the  larger  towns  and  cities  of  the  United  States,  both  North 


HISTOKICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  153 

and  South,  immense  processions  were  organized  and  carried  out  in 
the  greatest  and  grandest  perfection.  It  struck  me  as  a  truly  wonder 
ful  thing  at  the  time  that  the  Democratic  and  rebel  element  that  were 
so  rank  and  strong  even  in  former  days  in  the  North  did  not  take  mor 
tal  offense  at  such  out-and-out  demonstrations,  carried  out  with  such 
a  high  hand  before  the  noonday  sun ! 

But  our  people  were  discreet,  and  neither  said  nor  did  anything 
purposely  to  cause  any  reasonable  person  to  take  offense.  Of  course, 
they  stood  upon  their  rights,  and  they^claimed  their  rights  of  way  as 
much  as  others,  but  all  the  same  their  lawful  demonstration  of  joy  and 
rejoicing 'went  with  a  most  tremendous  swing,  and  nothing  was  done 
by  anybody  to  mar  the  exultation  of  the  grand  occasion.  So  far  as 
the  Republicans  were  concerned,  and  all  the  brave  old  Abolition 
school,  and  every  one  of  that  ilk,  they  were  well  pleased  to  see  the 
happy  consummation  of  all  their  labors  and  toils. 

I  do  not  wonder  so  much  that  this  tremendous  colored  demon 
stration  passed  off  without  opposition  in  the  North,  but  what  was  really 
surprising  was  that  the  processions  and  other  demonstrations  of  joy  in 
the  cities  of  the  South,  in  honor  of  the  Fifteenth  Amendment,  should 
not  have  brought  on  opposition,  conflicts  and  riots.  In  brief,  the  en 
tire  white  race,  over  all  the  land,  submitted  to  the  inevitable ;  they  sub 
mitted  to  the  results  of  the  war.  Their  consciences  at  least  bore  wit 
ness  that  neither  race  nor  color,  nor  previous  condition  make  men  nor 
unmake  them ;  that  one  man  is  as  much  of  a  man  as  another  in  a  gen 
eral  sense,  and  that  the  colored  race  had  fought  for  their  equal  rights, 
and  deserved  them,  and  all  seemed  now  willing  to  live  in  peace. 

As  we  heard  that  a  very  great  demonstration  was  to  be  made  at 
Louisville,  Ky.,  in  honor  of  the  Fifteenth  Amendment,  and  as  my  be 
loved  mother,  Tom  and  myself  had  been  longing  for  a  long  time  past 
for  a  sight  of  the  dear  old  place  upon  the  Kentucky  shore,  where  we 
had  all  been  born  and  brought  up,  we  determined  to  take  the  girls  and 
go  along  to  the  celebration,  and  Mr.  Sutherland  also  consented  to  ac 
company  us.  He  had  never  been  in  Kentucky,  and  so  anticipated  that 
it  would  be  a  great  treat  to  him. 

It  was  a  fine  morning  m  the  spring  when  we  took  the  road  for  the 
railway  station,  and  soon  we  found  ourselves  all  seated  in  the  train. 
Mr.  Sutherland  and  the  girls  were  in  a  great  way  about  going  to  Ken- 


154  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

tucky,  and  the  girls  had  so  long  desired  to  see  it  once  more.  Ever 
since  they  awoke  in  the  morning  they  had  been  humming  and  singing 
"The  Old  Kentucky  Shore !"  Nay,  they  etfen  played  it  on  the  piano, 
and  sang  to  their  own  accompaniments.  Thus  the  whole  house  was 
ringing  that  early  morning  with  the  sounds  of  music.  But  to  those  of 
us  who  were  older  the  children's  hilarity,  music  and  song  brought 
other  thoughts,  for  we  were  no  longer  children.  Many  dear  old  slave 
ditties  had  been  sung  about  Kentucky,  which  was  a  slave  State,  as  the 
dear  reader  knows  very  well.  Thousands  of  fugitives  had  escaped  over 
the  river  Ohio,  which  bounds  all  her  northern  line.  Indeed,  runaway 
slaves  from  States  further  south  usually  made  for  this  river,  and  made 
their  escapes  into  the  free  States  of  the  North.  Even  my  own  dear 
Tom  and  I  had  made  our  escape  over  this  river,  and  my  own  dear 
mother  had  been  carried  down  and  over  its  waters  on  her  way  to  the 
Sunny  South. 

Thus  our  feelings  that  morning  were  rather  conflicting.  Mr.  Suth 
erland  and  the  girls  seemed  best  off,  for  there  were  no  dark  shadows 
in  '.he  immediate  past  to  cloud  their  brows,  like  mother,  Tom  and  my 
self.  But  all  clouds  passed  away  sooner  or  later,  and  we  happily  for 
get  our  old-time  experiences  in  the  pleasantness  of  the  new  day.  the 
bright  and  warming  sunlight,  and  even  the  joyous  surroundings  that 
were  all  around  about  us  on  our  happy  way.  The  girls  having  bought 
a  couple  of  bright  new  picture  books  from  the  book-stand  at  the 
depot  while  we  were  securing  our  tickets,  all  things  were  now  in  readi 
ness  for  our  departure.  We  took  our  seats  in  a  very  contented  and 
flowery  state  of  mind  at  last,  and  our  brave  iron  horse  set  out  for  the 
open  road  along  the  shores  of  Lake  Erie,  and  soon  we  had  left  the 
city  of  Buffalo  behind  us.  The  dark  shadows  of  the  early  morning  had 
indeed  departed  altogether,  and  our  eyes  and  thoughts  were  fixed  up 
on  the  beautiful  country  as  we  flew  past,  and  on  the  shining  waters  of 
Lake  Erie,  till  we  came  to  Cleveland,  Ohio.  Here  we  left  the  lake,  and 
switched  away  towards  the  southwest  of  Columbus,  the  capital  of  this 
State.  The  rest  of  us  had  been  over  this  ground  before,  as  the  dear 
reader  will  remember;  but  all  was  new  ground  to  mother  and  Mr. 
Sutherland,  who  now  greatly  admired  the  beauties  of  the  State  of 
Ohio,  adorned  in  all  the  charms  of  spring,  and  with  all  its  fine  woods 
and  forests  arrayed  in  their  new  mantle  of  green,  that  set  off  the  beau- 


IN  DANGER  OF  THE  OVERSEER'S  LASH. 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  155 

ties  of  the  hills  and  dales  in  great  perfection.  And  whatever  our 
i  noughts  and  feelings  might  otherwise  have  been,  on  one  point  we  were 
all  united — we  were  going  back  to  our  dear  old  Kentucky  shore,  and 
the  city  of  Louisville,  to  behold  the  glorious  celebration  of  the  Fif 
teenth  Amendment  to  the  American  Constitution,  and  to  such  an  out 
pouring  of  the  colored  race  as  had  never  been  seen  in  Kentucky.  ThaU 
indeed,  made  our  hearts  light ;  that  was  joy  enough  for  all. 

In  due  time  we  reached  Columbus,  the  capital  of  the  State,  as  nice 
a  little  country  city  as  ever  I  saw.  Here  a  small  contingent  of  our 
own  beloved  people  came  on  board  the  train  for  Cincinnati  and  Louis 
ville.  They  were  in  a  state  of  high  excitement  over  the  forthcoming 
events.  Some  of  them,  no  doubt,  had  fled  away  from  the  curse  and 
chains  of  slavery  in  Kentucky,  and  more  remote  States ;  but  now  they 
could  return  without  fear.  "Slavery  there  had  lost  the  day !" 

Continuing  our  journey,  we  all  reached  Cincinnati  in  safety,  a 
fine  city,  of  which  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sutherland  often  heard,  but  had  never 
seen ;  and  they  were  quite  captivated  with  its  beauty,  reposing  so 
sweetly  on  the  hills  that  line  the  northern  banks  of  the  "beautiful  river," 
as  the  French  discoverers  delighted  to  call  it.  With  what  wonder  and 
delight  did  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sutherland  behold  the  beautiful  hills  and 
dells  of  Kentucky,  just  across  the  mighty  stream !  Mrs.  Sutherland 
had  of  course  seen  the  Ohio  at  Riverside,  and  all  the  way  down  to  the 
Mississippi,  but  it  was  the  first  time  her  husband  had  seen  the  beautiful 
river  of  the  Frenchmen,  or  even  slave  land,  and  it  produced  in  his 
mind  mingled  feelings  of  pain  and  pleasure  to  behold  it,  for  though 
born  free  himself,  his  forefathers  had  fled  across  the  Ohio  river  as  they 
made  their  escape  from  the  South. 

We  decided  to  spend  a  night  at  sweet  Cincinnati,  where  we  paid 
a  visit  to  A.  M.  E.  Church  parsonage,  where  my  beloved  Tom  and  I 
put  up  when  we  were  married  at  the  church  there,  and  what  was  our 
surprise  and  joy  to  find  the  very  same  family  there,  the  selfsame 
reverend  gentleman  having  been  called  back  for  a  second  time.  What 
kissing,  embracing  and  joy  there  was  between  the  two  families  upon 
this  happy,  happy  reunion !  Heaven  alone  can  tell,  my  dear  reader, 
how  very  much  good  this  meeting  did  us  all.  My  goodness !  this  poor 
pen  of  mine  is  altogether  unequal  to  the  task.  It  was  indeed  a  heav 
enly  union ! 


156  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

There  being  a  class  that  night  at  the  dear,  dear  church,  after  tea, 
we  all  went  along  with  the  pastor  and  his  family  and  had  a  glorious 
time,  where  we  praised  the  Lord,  for  He  is  good,  for  His  mercy  en- 
dureth  forever.  •  Many  old  friends  remembered  us  still,  and  gave  us  a 
warm  welcome.  O  Christianity !  Christianity !  What  joys  has  this 
world  like  them  ? 

After  this  grand  meeting  was  over,  we  all  made  our  way  to  the 
private  quarters,  which  we  had  engaged  for  the  night,  and  where  we 
had  a  most  refreshing  sleep.  We  were  all  quite  amused  with  the  girls, 
for  they  were  worse  than  wild  birds  for  sheer  delight.  The  fine  weather 
and  the  great  events  in  the  immediate  future  were  mighty  stimulants , 
Indeed  the  whole  of  us  were  completely  carried  away  by  our  feelings, 
and  we  ran  the  city  and  suburbs  of  Cincinnati  in  all  directions,  our  pri 
vate  boarding-house  being  our  rendezvous  at  three  o'clock  in  the  after 
noon,  so  that  we  could  all  start  together  for  the  boat  that  was  to  leave 
an  hour  or  two  later  for  Louisville. 

It  is  a  remarkable  thing  how  rapidly  some  people  become  ac 
quainted.  By  the  time  we  had  spent  some  twenty-four  hours  with 
the  kind  people  at  the  boarding-house,  we  were  almost  as  fond  of 
one  another  as  if  we  had  been  brought  up  together.  Some  of  them 
even  accompanied  us  to  the  Public  Landing,  where  we  were  to  embark 
for  Louisville.  I  don't  know  what  the  neighbors  along  the  street 
thought  of  us,  for  we  were  more  excited  and  exultant  and  louder 
than  a  lot  of  barn-yard  fowl,  with  laughing  and  one  thing  and  another ! 
Well,  it  was  a  time  for  laughing,  I  think,  and  after  two  hundred  and 
fifty  years  of  slavery,  I  also  think  we  had  a  right  to  laugh,  and  to 
laugh  with  all  our  might  and  main ! 

At  last  we  reached  the  Public  Landing,  marched  on  board,  secured 
•our  cabins,  and  settled  ourselves  down  for  our  passage  to  Louisville, 
greatly  admiring  the  scenery  and  traffic  of  "The  Beautiful  River." 

A  great  many  passengers  came  on  board  at  Cincinnati,  all  bound 
for  the  great  celebration.  All  eyes  were  bright  with  animation,  and 
high-beating  hope  swelled  in  every  human  heart.  The  rush  to  the 
colossal  exhibition  at  Louisville  reminded  me  of  the  tides  of  people  on 
the  grand  march  to  see  a  circus  ;  but  his  was  a  circus  of  a  most  unusual 
kind.  From  the  grand  reports  that  had  been  circulated  all  over  the 
country  for  weeks,  we  all  expected  a  high  old  time,  we  expected  the 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  157 

colored  race  and  their  friends  at  Louisville  to  make  a  mighty  effort  to 
place  a  great  show  before  the  whole  State,  and  also  expected  to  swell 
the  mighty  chorus  and  throng  by  our  own  presence.  Many  persons 
on  board  had  never  been  back  to  Louisville  since  they  took  French 
leave  of  the  same  place ;  whilst  others  had  numerous  friends  and  re 
lations  whom  they  greatly  desired  to  see.  But  all  wished  to  behold  the 
old  Kentucky  shore  again,  for  who  does  not  love  the  scenes  of  their 
youth  ? 

We  were  now  fairly  launched  out  upon  the  great  river.  The 
sweet  spring  winds  blew  over  us,  and  seemed  to  accompany  and  cheer 
us  upon  our  way.  At  such  times  the  imagination  gives  play  to  all  sorts 
of  sweet  things,  and  the  very  surges  of  the  Ohio  river  seemed  to  rejoice 
as  they  bore  us  along  on  their  downward  course  to  the  Mississippi  and 
the  Gulf  States.  The  sun  went  down,  and  the  moon  arose  upon  the- 
fleeting  scene.  The  night  was  now  upon  us,  and  all  the  hills  and  dells 
that  lined  both  sides  of  the  beautiful  river  enchanted  the  eyes  and 
hearts  of  all  beholders.  A  sweet  peace  stole  into  our  hearts  that  came 
down  from  heaven. 

With  what  interest  did  we  view  the  little  wooden  cabins  that  lay 
along  the  shores  of  the  river  on  the  Kentucky  side,  and  along  the 
slopes  of  her  hills !  What  tales  of  grief  and  joy  those  dear  little  homes 
could  have  told  if  they  had  been  able  to  speak.  My  two  dear  children 
were  awed  into  silence  as  they  looked  upon  the  passing  scenes,  for 
they  had  both  read  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin/  and  many  other  plaintive 
books  besides ;  and  heard  from  us  and  from  others  a  thousand  tales  of 
slavery  in  days  gone  by.  Many  eyes  besides  our  own  were  wet  with 
tears  of  love,  sorrow  and  emotion,  as  we  viewed  those  little  cabin 
homes,  and  saw  the  lights  that  night  on  the  "Old  Kentucky  Shore"  of 
the  poet,  and  in  our  hearts  we  thanked  the  Lord  that  slavery  here  had 
indeed  passed  away  forever.  It  has  been  often  a  wonder  to  me  that 
the  Lord  allowed  the  curse  to  continue  so  long ;  but  then  He  knows 
what  is  for  the  best,  and  I  am  always  willing  to  take  things  on  trust 
that  I  cannot  understand.  "The  Lord  is  good ;  a  stronghold  in  the  day 
of  trouble,  and  He  knoweth  them  who  put  their  trust  in  Him."  How 
true,  how  very  true,  indeed ! 

We  called  at  no  place  on  our  way,  but  at  the  beautiful  little  city 
of  Madison,  Indiana,  that  lies  so  sweet-looking  in  the  edge  of  the 


158  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

Ohio  river.  Quite  a  goodly  number  of  our  own  beloved  people  came 
on  board  here,  whom  we  rejoiced  to  see.  It  was  the  same  old,  old 
story  that  I  have  told  before.  They  were  going-  to  Louisville  to  swell 
the  mighty  throng,  and  help  sing  the  songs  of  the  ransomed  of  the 
Lord  during  the  forthcoming  celebration  at  that  city. 

After  we  left  Madison,  we  all  retired  to  bed  for  the  night,  and  we 
were  not  long  in  falling  into  a  sound  sleep.  The  night  passed  away, 
on  flew  the  waves  of  the  beautiful  river  with  our  fleet  boat  on  their 
bosom,  rushing  on  for  the  general  rendezvous,  and  about  four  o'clock 
in  the  morning  our  gallant  craft  tied  up  at  the  landing-place  at  Louis 
ville,  the  metropolis  of  Kentucky. 

All  up  once  more,  and  in  good  time!  We  were  careful  this  morn 
ing  to  give  ourselves  a  thorough,  good  washing,  and  lay  in  a  solid, 
substantial  breakfast  in  preparation  for  the  events  of  the  coming  day. 
All  on  board,  bent  on  the  same  happy  journey  as  ourselves,  were  in  a 
high  key  of  excitement.  Indeed  we  could  snuff  excitement  in  the  very 
air  before  we  left  the  boat.  But  at  last  we  got  away,  and  came  up  the 
bank  from  the  beautiful  river,  and  entered  the  city  before  seven  o'clock, 
where  we  found  the  whole  place  astir  with  great  numbers  of  excited 
pople,  rushing  and  sweeping  along  in  all  directions — men  on  horse 
back  riding  rapidly  up  and  down  the  streets ;  great  crowds  of  men. 
women  and  children  arriving  by  rail  from  different  parts  of  the  State, 
while  men  in  uniforms,  bands  of  music,  with  the  town  boys  and  girls 
scurrying  along  in  all  directions  like  the  wild  waves  of  the  sea ;  flags, 
banners,  streamers  and  ribbands  seen  fluttering  in  the  breeze  in  all 
directions — such  was  our  introduction  to  Louisville,  when  we  came 
up  from  the  river,  and  looked  up  and  down  Market,  Jefferson  and 
Green  streets,  and  made  our  early  way  to  a  place  on  Walnut  street, 
where  we  had  arranged  previously  by  letter  to  take  up  our  quarters 
for  the  week  that  we  were  to  spend  in  the  city.  Here  our  dear  old 
acquaintances  of  ante-bellum  days  received  us  gladly.  We  were  all 
much  altered  now,  had  grown  older,  were  married  and  had  children 
of  our  own ;  were  now  free,  whereas  formerly  we  were  called  "goods 
and  chattels"  in  defiance  of  the  truth  of  the  Eternal  Jehovah  that  we 
had  all  the  same  rights  as  others,  but  for  the  time  being  were  held 
down  by  sheer  physical  force. 

So  much  talk  about  a  "Fifteenth  Amendment"  we  had.  never 


HISTORICAL  KOMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  159 

heard  in  our  lives,  and  it  made  us  laugh  to  hear  even  the  little  children 
lisp  "The  Fifteenth  Amendment !"  Poor,  dear  little  things !  Theirs 
was  a  happy  lot.  They  were  all  free,  and  had  not  come  up  by  the 
rough  side  of  the  mountain  like  their  oppressed  parents.  The  glorious 
weather  was  immensely  in  our  favor.  We  blessed  God  for  that,  and 
we  blessed  Him  for  all  things.  The  sun  was  shining  in  all  his  beauty ; 
the  mocking-birds  sang  in  the  parks,  and  the  light  winds  blew  over 
the  fair  and  garden-like  city  on  the  Ohio.  Thousands  upon  thousands 
of  people  still  continued  to  arrive  upon  boats  that  came  up  and  down 
the  river,  by  the  ferry-boats,  and  on  all  the  heavily-laden  incoming 
trains  that  arrived  thick  and  fast.  Even  the  old  inhabitant  was  aston 
ished  at  the  tremendous  crowds  that  at  last  packed  all  the  main  streets 
along  which  the  procession  was  to  pass,  because  we  were  now  getting 
well  into  line,  just  as  is  done  at  a  Presidential  inauguration  at  Wash 
ington.  Uniformed  riders  and  fast  messengers,  ex-soldiers  dressed 
in  Uncle  Sam's  conventional  blue,  the  fair  sex  as  thick  as  the  leaves 
of  the  forest,  boys  in  the  trees,  all  the  windows  full  of  sight-seers,  and 
men  and  boys  on  the  roofs  of  the  houses — well,  indeed,  might  the  old 
est  inhabitant  ask  where  all  the  people  came  from !  Nobody  could 
have  given  a  complete  answer  to  that  question,  for  there  were  tens  of 
thousands  of  people  here  this  day  who  had  never  been  to  Louisville 
before.  All  had  heard  of  Louisville,  the  beautiful  metropolis  of  the 
State,  but  they  were  slaves  then,  and  had  no  hope  of  ever  beholding 
its  Beauties ;  but  God  is  good — here  came  the  war,  here  came  victory 
and  freedom,  here  came  new  laws  and  the  Fifteenth  Amendment,  and 
here  came  they  themselves  at  last  to  help  on  the  good  cause  with  loud 
shouts  of  joy. 

Flags  fluttered  from  thousands  of  windows,  and  the  indications  of 
joy  were  universal.  And  not  only  did  the  colored,  but  the  white 
population  packed  the  streets  in  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands ; 
the  crowds  were  good-humored  to  the  last  degree,  and  there  was 
nothing  but  joy  and  rejoicing  on  every  side  all  day  long. 

The  outriders  now  began  to  move  in  advance  of  the  procession ; 
the  first  men  in  line  followed  next  with  a  band  of  music,  and  these 
again  were  followed  by  a  tasteful  and  beautiful  float  that  promised 
mighty  things  in  the  rear !  Bands  of  music  at  intervals,  all  the  differ 
ent  societies,  another  wonderful  and  beautiful  float  came  sailing  on 


160  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

Icden  with  rejoicing  citizens,  young  and  old,  and  a  thousand  other 
strange  and  wonderful  features  and  devices  of  the  triumphal  march 
called  forth  loud  shouts  of  joy,  great  outbursts  of  laughter  and  gen 
eral  applause.  A  beautiful  colored  maiden  of  sixteen  or  seventeen 
summers,  named  Miss  Laura  Claggett,  stood  up  in  a  chariot  during 
the  entire  procession,  and  she  made  a  splendid  living  representation 
of  the  "Goddess  of  Liberty/  It  was  said  of  her,  as  of  the  beauty  of 
ancient  Tyre,  "Thou  hast  made  thy  beauty  perfect."  The  interest  that 
we  all  took  in  the  long,  splendid  and  varied  procession  was  most  in 
tense.  So  much  pains  had  been  taken  with  all  the  necessary  prepara 
tions  that  every  part  of  it  was  complete,  and  the  warmest  approbation 
was  bestowed  upon  all  the  preliminary  arrangements,  and  the  way  in 
which  they  were  carried  out.  Here  was  a  true  object  lesson,  indeed, 
that  we  were  as  fit  for  the  highest  civilization  as  the  whites.  This  was 
freely  admitted  on  all  hands,  with  the  exception,  of  course,  of  those 
blind  persons  who  did  not  wish  to  see.  We  find  them  everywhere,  and 
the  best  thing  to  do  is  simply  to  ignore  them  altogether.  It  was  won 
derful,  thrice  wonderful,  to  look  around,  and  see  the  people  who  had 
come  from  the  remotest  parts  of  the  State  to  see  Louisville  and  the 
great  celebration.  It  was  most  pathetic  to  look  at  some  of  them — bent 
down  in  some  cases  with  hard  work,  labor  and  toil  of  half  a  century. 
There  was  a  feeling  of  unutterable  thankfulness  that*  was  apparent  to 
all  observers — thankfulness  that  they  could  yet  enjoy  a  few  years  of 
freedom  before  they  went  home  to  be  with  the  Lord,  and  thankfulrfess- 
that  their  children  should  be  free  for  all  coming  time.  "No  more 
auction  blocks  for  me !"  was  the  sentiment. 

Thus  the  whole  glorious  procession  marched  and  counter-march 
ed  over  the  principal  streets  of  the  beautiful  garden-like  city  of  Louis 
ville,  and  at  last  broke  up  and  scattered  like  all  other  famous  proces 
sions  of  the  kind,  whether  at  Washington  or  anywhere  else.  The 
whole  city  press  were  loud  in  their  praises  of  the  universal  good  con 
duct  and  splendid  management  of  the  new  citizens,  and  of  course  the 
Republican  organ  brought  out  the  whole  truth  flat-footed,  and  cast  all 
its  glories  to  the  breeze  without  stint.  It  was  a  downright  triumph  in 
the  interest  of  law  and  order,  for  the  police  authorities  had  little  or 
nothing  to  do.  The  pastors  of  all  the  churches,  and  other  leaders,  had 
impressed  it  upon  the  hearts  and  minds  of  all  the  people  to  be  good, 


H1STOKICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  161 

and  to  act  as  citizens,  and  give  the  enemy  no  just  reason  to  throw 
stones.  For  my  own  part,  though  I  had  by  this  time  seen  a  hundred 
processions,  at  least,  in  my  time,  I  am  bound  to  confess  that  the  pro 
cession  and  day's  doings  at  Louisville  were  as  good  as  the  best  in  re 
gard  to  law  and  order,  and  I  understand  that  other  cities  behaved 
quite  as  well  as  they  did  in  Kentucky,  throughout  the  Union. 

For  a  week  or  so  the  entire  colored  population  at  Louisville  were 
en  fete,  and  a  high  old  time  of  it  they  did  have,  indeed.  It  was  a  per 
fect  carnival — a  general  jollification  along  the  whole  line.  Music  and 
dancing,  and  grand  tea  parties,  both  in  public  and  private,  were  all  the 
go,  and  as  our  presence  in  town  was  soon  well  known,  we  were  invited 
to  lend  a  hand  in  the  general  festivities  along  with  others.  There  was  a 
good  time  all  over  the  metropolis  of  Kentucky,  and  don't  you  forget  it. 

There  is  a  poem  that  says  in  one  place,  "J°v's  image  may  vanish, 
and  griefs  die  away ;  but  the  scenes  of  our  youth  are  recorded  for  aye," 
— which  leads  me  on  to  say  that  Tom,  mother  and  myself  had  a  great 
and  yearning  desire  to  revisit  all  those  dear  scenes  and  places  round 
about  the  beautiful  river  that  had  been  so  deeply  stamped  into  our 
hearts  and  memories  in  the  glorious,  youthful  spring-time  of  life.  Mr. 
Sutherland  had  no  such  longing  to  satisfy,  and  the  two  girls  were  not 
then  boirn.  The  latter  three,  indeed,  were  born  at  Buffalo,  on  the 
Niagara  river,  in  the  great  Empire  State  of  New  York.  So  Tom, 
mother  and  myself  made  calls  on  all  those  dear,  dear  friends  of  our 
earliest  days  who  still  remained  alive,  or  still  dwelt  in  Louisville.  But 
many  changes  had  taken  place.  Some  had  grown  old  and  almost  past 
recognition ;  the  children  of  others  received  us  kindly,  for  their  parents 
were  gone  to  a  better  land,  and  there  were  other  changes  all  around, 
too  numerous  to  mention.  With  the  exception  of  God  Himself,  and 
the  course  of  nature,  all  things  seemed  to  be  altered,  and  it  was  a 
source  of  thankfulness  to  us  all  that  something  remained  that  could 
not  be  shaken. 

When  we  had  thus  ransacked  the  whole  city  in  search  of  old 
friends  (Mr.  Sutherland  and  the  girls  coming  bravely  along  with  us), 
we  crossed  the  river  to  Jeffersonville,  Indiana,  where  we  made  two  or 
three  calls,  and  then  went  down  to  New  Albany,  on  the  Indiana  side, 
where  we  had  grand  welcomes  from  all  whom  we  knew  there.  It  was 
really  astonishing  to  behold  our  mutual  joy,  and  to  tell  our  true  tales 


162  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

of  joys  and  sorrows,  and  hear  theirs  in  return.    Praise  ye  the  Lord ! 

We  now  hired  a  boat,  and  had  a  glorious  sail  up  the  Ohio,  and 
showed  Mr.  Sutherland  and  the  children  all  the  old  familiar  places  up 
the  stream  where  we  had  formerly  been.  Then  we  went  down  the 
river,  passed  through  the  canal  at  Portland,  below  the  city,  and  came 
•out  upon  the  Ohio  once  more.  There  were  six  of  us  in  the  boat  be 
sides  the  two  rowers.  We  had  taken  the  precaution  to  borrow  a  vari 
ety  of  loud-sounding  musical  instruments ;  we  kept  close  to  the  Ken 
tucky  side  of  the  Ohio,  and  when  we  drew  near  to  the  place  of  our 
birth,  that  is,  Riverside  Hall,  we  struck  up  "The  Old  Kentucky  Shore," 
which  we  both  played  and  sang  with  tremendous  force,  raising  more 
excitement  than  the  Salvation  Army !  This  brought  out  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Jackson,  and  all  the  old  retainers  who  chose  to  remain  after  the  fall  of 
slavery.  There  were  new  faces  there,  also.  My  father  recognized  us 
at  once,  and  invited  us  in  to  receive  the  hospitalities  of  the  house. 
Here  we  remained  all  day,  saw  everything  once  more,  and  returned  to 
Louisville  at  set  of  sun.  But  we  afterwards  returned  to  Riverside,  and 
spent  another  whole  day  in  perfect  love  and  harmony.  It  was  a  sweet 
time. 

We  were  now  all  far,  far  more  than  satisfied.  All  things  had  gone 
well  with  us,  and  we  returned  home  to  Buffalo  mote  thankful  and  glad 
some  than  ever.  Oh,  what  shall  we  render  unto  the  Lord  for  all  his 
goodness  !  Because  His  mercy  endureth  forever ! 


CHAPTER  XV. 

The  Great  Commercial  Panic  of  1873 — Collapse  of  the  Republican 
Government  of  the  South — The  Rebel  Shot- Gun — The  Force  Bill 
— Rebellion  at  New  Orleans — Dangerous  State  of  the  Whole 
Country — Election  of  President  Hayes — Presumption  of  the  Late 
Secessionists — Speech  of  Congressman  Foster,  in  Ohio — The 
Solid  North  Against  the  Solid  South — The  Election  of  James  A. 
Garfield — For  the  Sake  of  Peace. 

As  I  have  indicated  at  the  close  of  the  last  chapter,  we  all  got 
home  to  Buffalo  in  perfect  safety,  and  settled  down  once  more  to  the 
duties  of  life.  In  the  meantime  we  continued  to  watch  the  course  of 
reconstruction  in  the  South,  which  was  run  by  the  Republicans  with 
but  very  few  exceptions.  We  all  seemed  to  think  that  things  had 
settled  down  all  right  in  those  States.  White  and  colored  Republicans 
were  mixed  up  pretty  fairly  in  the  Governments,  and  in  all  the  differ 
ent  departments.  There  were  about  a  dozen  colored  Congressmen 
at  Washington,  and  numbers  were  also  employed  abroad  in  the  con 
sular  and  diplomatic  service  of  the  United  States.  All  things  appeared 
to  have  settled  down  in  quietness  and  peace,  but  it  was  only  to  lull 
that  which  comes  before  the  tempest,  for  the  elements  in  Secessia  were 
only  awaiting  a  favorable  opportunity  to  strike  their  favorable  blow. 

Up  to  the  year  1872  (as  I  still  remember  well)  this  entire  nation 
seemed  to  be  running  a  course  of  unprecedented  and  joyful  prosperity. 
Everybody  was  working,  there  seemed  to  be  plenty  of  money  in  the 
country,  and  glorious  good  times,  and  immediately  prospective  wealth 
were  the  order  of  the  day  everywhere.  Alas,  alas !  It  was  nothing  but 
the  inflation  of  a  big  balloon.  In  1873  came  a  universal  crash,  and  the 
balloon  collapsed  entirely !  There  was  nothing  but  consternation  over 
the  whole  nation,  and  the  Northern  States  ceased  for  a  time  to  keep 
their  watchful  eyes  upon  the  reconstruction  of  the  South,  in  order  to 
attend  to  the  dreadful  troubles  at  home,  caused  by  the  complete  col 
lapse  in  trade.  This  was  the  opportunity  for  which  the  late  open  rebels 
had  been  waiting.  They  determined  at  once  to  take  advantage  of  the 


164  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

sudden  panic.  The  Ku-Klux-Klan  now  came  to  the  front  (of  whom 
I  have  made  mention  before).  They  seized  the  shot-gun,  and  wrote 
on  their  banners,  "We  must  carry  these  States  peaceably  if  we  can ; 
forcibly,  if  we  must."  Their  first  efforts  were  directed  against  the  \vhite 
Republican  leaders,  who  melted  away  like  new  fallen  snow  before  a 
warm  sun.  Their  next  effort  was  directed  against  the  most  intelligent 
and  influential  colored  leaders,  to  whom  they  denied  employment  in 
almost  every  possible  case.  In  a  short  time  there  were  not  many  Re 
publican  leaders  left,  either  white  or  colored,  and  the  rank  and  file  of 
the  party  could  not  then  do  much.  Congress  passed  next  an  act 
empowering  President  Grant  to  use  the  army  to  suppress  their  do 
mestic  violence,  and  prevent  bloodshed ;  also  to  protect  colored  voters 
in  the  constitutional  exercise  of  the  rights  conferred  upon  them  by  the 
Fifteenth  Amendment.  But  the  South  were  up  on  their  feet  again,  and 
offered  the  most  determined  opposition  to  the  right  and  proper  use  of 
the  national  army.  Like  a  high-strung,  violent  termagant,  the  lately- 
defeated  rebels  now  clamored  for  the  ruling  of  their  own  States  in  their 
own  way,  tot  the  complete  exclusion  of  the  lawful  rights  of  all  others. 
In  her  anxiety  and  desperation  to  have  her  own  way,  "Miss  Dixie"  ap 
pealed  to  the  sympathies  of  the  Northern  people,  and,  indeed,  she  was 
pretty  successful  in  her  unjust  appeal,  because  she  was  aided 
by  the  "Copperheads"  (Democrats)  of  the  North,  by  many  of 
the  Northern  papers,  and  even  by  the  more  luke-warm  among  the  Re 
publicans  themselves.  The  ex-rebels  clamored  for  what  they  called 
"a  white  man's  government,"  though  the  Union  was  no  more  a  white 
man's  government  than  a  black  man's.  Indeed,  if  this  country  belongs 
to  anybody,  it  belongs  to  the  Indians,  from  whom  the  wicked  Span 
iards  and  other  European  robbers  first  stole  the  lands  away,  and  mur 
dered  the  people. 

The  bill  that  was  introduced  into  Congress  to  enforce  order  in  the 
South  was  nick-named  the  "Force  Bill,"  and  it  was  not  such  a  bad 
name,  after  all,  because  nothing  but  force  seemed  of  any  service  in 
making  Southern  States  do  right.  Things  came  to  their  worst  in  1874, 
when  the  city  of  New  Orleans  was  in  a  state  of  siege,  the  streets  block 
aded  with  State  troops  and  White  Line  leagues,  and  an  open  battle 
was  fought  between  the  two  conflicting  parties.  The  rebels  overthrew 
the  Republican  State  government,  and  a  new  government  was  set  up 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OP  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  165 

by  physical  force  in  its  stead.  But  President  Grant  sent  troops  to 
New  Orleans,  and  the  lawful  government  was  restored.  State  elec 
tions  followed  in  the  North  in  the  States  of  Indiana,  Ohio,  New  York, 
New  Jersey,  Connecticut  and  Massachusetts,  which  resulted  in  the  de 
feat  of  the  Republican  ticket  and  the  triumph  of  the  Democrats.  In 
their  short-sighted  way,  the  Bourbon  Democrats  of  the  South  gave 
way  to  great  exultation  and  joy,  and  behaved  in  the  most  cruel  and 
shameful  way  to  the  white  and  colored  Republicans  in  Secessia. 

Nor  did  the  mischief  end  there,  for  in  their  mistaken  sympathy, 
•many  of  the  Northern  legislatures  passed  resolutions  condemning 
President  Grant  for  sending  troops  into  the  South,  although  he  only 
did  so  in  the  discharge  of  his  most  legitimate  duty,  and  in  accordance 
with  the  law.  These  movements  caused  the  next  Congress,  which  was 
the  Forty-fourth,  to  be  organized  by  the  Democrats,  when  the  very} 
cabinet  ministers  themselves  were  divided  upon  the  policy  to  be  pur 
sued  towards  the  South,  one  half  pulling  one  way,  and  the  other  half 
pulling  the  other  way.  To  help  on  the  bad  cause  still  further,  although 
a  majority  of  colored  people  exists  in  Mississippi,  and  that  State  ought 
4c  have  gone  Republican,  still  the  shot-gun  policy  of  the  rebels  carried 
that  State  before  them,  and  the  Republican  Government  ceased  to  exist. 

The  country  was  truly  in  a  dangerous  condition ;  a  portion  of  the 
Northern  population  were  in  favor  of  General  Grant  and  his  policy, 
and  the  rest  were  in  favor  of  a  change  in  the  South.  A  house  divided 
against  itself  will  not  stand :  at  least,  it  will  not  stand  long.  Men  evo- 
deserted  the  grand  Republican  party,  not  for  any  ill  it  had  done, 
but  simply  because  others  deserted  it.  It  was  even  charged  against 
the  Grant  administration  that  it  was  responsible  for  the  ruin  of  the 
Republican  government  in  the  Southern  States,  and  even  for  the  great 
business  disasters  that  had  overtaken  the  whole  country,  North  and 
South.  It  is  easy  to  find  a  stick  to  beat  a  dog.  Such  puerile  charges 
remind  me  rather  of  the  tricks  of  children  than  actions  of  men.  All 
those  charges  were  entirely  false,  and  the  Democrats,  both  Noirth  and 
South,  must  have  known  it  themselves.  We  still  remember  well  the 
mischief  that  President  Andrew  Johnson  did  in  his  great  sympathy  for 
the  rebels  after  they  had  laid  down  their  arms,  and  how  the  Southern 
States  had  been  ruled  by  hands  far  too  weak  for  the  task ;  that  is,  by 
colored  men,  formerly  unaccustomed  to  politics,  by  scalawags  and. 


366  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN   NFAilK). 

carpet-baggers.  The  cleverest  of  the  rebels  refused  to  lend  a  hand  in 
the  work  of  Reconstruction,  and  sat  sullenly  at  home  nursing  their 
wrath  to  keep  it  warm.  They  never  moved  a  hand  in  the  work  of 
building  up  their  own  country,  till  they  moved  as  the  Ku-Klux-Klan. 
reached  for  the. shot-gun,  and  murdered  those  who  ruled  the  Southern 
States.  The  rebel  legislatures  were  now  made  up  of  those  very  men 
whom  the  North  had  put  down  in  the  war.  They  thronged  the  State 
halls  and  corridors,  dressed  in  the  very  same  robes  that  they  had  worn 
on  the  battlefield  when  we  were  fighting  for  the  Union  and  freedom  : 
and  they  were  as  rebellious  in  heart  as  before ! 

There  was  one  great  man  in  the  Republican  party  who  might  have 
done  a  great  deal  for  the  colored  people  of  the  South,  if  he  had  tried, 
but  he  did  mot  try;  nay,  he  himself  wanted  to  be  President,  and  did 
not  wish  to  hurt  himself  when  his  own  selfish  interests  were  at  stake. 
This  man  was  the  Hon.  James  G.  Elaine,  of  Maine.  He  opposed  the 
_l'orce  Bill,  and  lost  no  opportunity  of  opposing  President  Grant's  ad 
ministration  whenever  the  latter  wished  to  do  anything  against  the  late 
rebels,  and  in  favor  of  the  people.  But  Mr.  Blaine  never  became  Presi 
dent,  and  it  served  him  right,  for  he  might  have  proved  a  bad  run-. 
as  Andrew  Johnson  did. 

General  Rutherford  B.  Hayes  was  Governor  of  Ohio,  and  in  1876 
the  Republican  party  gave  him  the  nomination  for  the  Presidency, 
The  convention  met  at  Cincinnati.  The  Democrats  ran  Samuel  Jones 
Tilden  as  their -candidate.  By  the  aid  of  the  shot-gun  the  South  had 
suppressed  the  Republican  legislatures  of  the  States  lately  in  rebellion, 
and  having  gained  an  inch  they  went  boldly  on  with  the  intention  of 
taking  a  yard.  They  certainly  did  expect  to  carry  things  their  own 
way,  especially  if  Mr.  Tilden  could  be  elected,  which  appeared  very 
likely  at  the  time.  Though  really  done  by  means  of  the  shot-gun  in 
several  Southern  States,  it  was  still  pretended  that  those  States  had 
been  carried  for  Tilden  and  the  Democrats,  which  was  a  most  un 
blushing  falsehood  on  the  very  face  of  it,  for  although  returning  officers 
came  up  as  bold  as  rats  from  those  very  States  that  had  gone  Demo 
cratic  by  the  aid  of  the  shot-gun,  and  put  in  their  claims,  every  child 
in  the  land,  both  North  and  South,  knew  where  the  truth  lay.  A  long 
wrangle  followed  over  the  counting  of  the  electoral  votes,  and  as  sev 
eral  Southern  States  had  been  carried  unlawfully,  they  were  flung  out. 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  167 

and  General  Rutherford  B.  Hayes  was  declared  duly  elected 
President  of  the  United  States,  and  took  his  seat  on  the 
Fourth  of  March,  1877.  Now  arose  a  wild  cry  about  injustice  from  all 
the  Democrats  of  the  land  that  what  they  called  "a  great  steal"  had 
been  done.  The  rebel  South  (that  cared  for  no  rights  but  the  right  of 
their  murderous  shot-guns)  was  exasperated  to  the  last  degree.  In 
fact  they  were  ready  to  fight  for  what  they  considered  their  rights,  that 
is  the  right  to  do  as  they  pleased.  They  had  hoped  that  with  the  res 
toration  of  the  Democratic  government  at  that  time  they  would  be 
able  to  collect  their  rebel  war  claims  of  the  National  Treasury  at 
Washington,  and  even  get  the  price  of  their  lost  slaves  from  the  same 
source.  They  considered  that  they  had  a  perfect  right  to  all  such 
claims,  and  that  the  very  rebel  soldiers  wounded  in  the  war  ought  to 
receive  pensions  the  same  as  those  who  fought  against  them  for  the 
Union  and  for  freedom.  When  colored  girls  called  upon  those  old 
rebel  ladies  of  Secessia  at  this  time,  asking  for  employment,  those  fe 
male  rebels  replied,  "Oh,  we  will  hire  you  from  your  masters  or  mis 
tresses,"  thus  clearly  indicating  that  they  fully  expected  the  restora 
tion  of  slavery  itself! 

So  the  Democrats  of  the  North,  and  the  Bourbon  Democrats  of 
the  South  setted  down  in  a  sullen  mood  to  four  years  more  of  Repub 
lican  rule.  It  was  nothing  but  right  and  proper  that  they  should  be 
disappointed  of  their  prey.  Even  St.  Paul,  in  the  New  Testament,  tells 
us  that  nioi  man  is  entitled  to  the  prize  unless  he  contends  lawfully. 
Of  course,  the  South  neither  cared  for  the  opinion  of  St.  Paul,  lawful 
contention,  nor  anything  else  of  the  same  kind.  So  long  as  they  could 
carry  the  elections  by  the  shot-gun  it  was  all  right,  and  good  enough 
for  them. 

The  South  was  still  discontented  and  sullen.  They  had,  indeed, 
knocked  down  the  Republican  governments  of  her  several  States,  but 
though  allowed  to  govern  was  not  allowed  all  war  claims  on  the  treas 
ury  at  Washington,  and  there  was  not  one  single  ray  of  hope  for  the  res 
toration  of  slavey.  None,  none  whatever !  That  was  settled  for  all 
time.  "Dixie"  sat  down  like  a  sulky,  sullen  woman  by  her  own  hearth 
stone,  and  refused  to  be  comforted.  While  she  was  in  sorrow,  others 
were  in  joy.  Uncle  Sam,  like  a  kind  and  tender  husband,  next  tried  the 
gentler  arts  of  pacifying  and  pleasing  his  termagant  wife — the  wife 


168  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OP  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

who  in  former  days,  yea,  even  for  fifty  years,  had  always  threatened  to 
go  out  of  the  Union  unless  she  could  have  her  own  way !  So  an  ex- 
Major-General  of  the  late  Confederate  army  was  called  into  the  cabinet 
of  President  Hayes,  and  was  given  a  portfolio  for  the  purpose  of  try 
ing  what  he  cooild  do  to  better  the  condition  of  the  South.  Then  Gen 
eral  Longstreet,  also  a  leader  in  the  army  of  the  rebellion,  was  made 
postmaster  at  Gainesville,  in  Georgia,  and  was  afterwards  sent  as  min 
ister  to  Turkey.  Colonel  Mosby,  the  famous  Confederate  guerilla, 
was  sent  to  China,  and  Colonel  Fitzsimmons  was  made  marshal  of 
Georgia.  The  South  nevertheless  did  not  show  any  signs  of  real  im 
provement.  They  stuck  together,  however,  in  a  certain  fashion,  like 
solid  rocks  of  ice,  all  congealed  and  frozen  tight  and  hard  together 
into  one  lump,  and  became  known  as  the  "Solid  South."  They  showed 
the  greatest  repugnance  to  the  scalawags  and  carpet-baggers,  and 
all  white  Republicans  generally,  who  were  intimidated,  persecuted  and 
driven  out  of  all  participation  in  the  reconstruction  of  the  States. 
Black  Republicans  were  allowed  to  vote,  but  the  Democrats  of  Secessia 
took  the  counting  of  the  votes  into  their  own  hands,  and  secured  the 
offices,  all  the  same !  At  this  time  President  Hayes  was  under  the 
influence  of  Alexander  H.  Stephens,  of  Georgia,  and  Wade  Hampton, 
of  South  Carolina.  President  Hayes  expected  much,  but  received 
nothing  in  return.  The  more  kindness  and  consideration  he  showed 
them  the  more  arrogant  and  ungrateful  they  became.  The  Southern 
leaders  in  Congress  even  tried  to  deprive  the  President  of  his  Constitu 
tional  veto — tried  to  starve  the  army,  and  even  to  protract  the  session 
of  Congress.  The  North  was  indeed  holding  out  the  olive  branch  of 
peace  to  the  late  rebel  States,  and  these  States  were  trampling  the 
kindness  of  the  North  beneath  their  feet.  Southern  insolence  went  on, 
grew  and  increased.  There  were  loyal  Republican  men  at  Washing 
ton,  who  could  have  assisted  the  President  to  steer  the  ship  of  state 
better  than  he  did;  but  President  Hayes  did  not  seem  to  care  for 
their  advice ;  he  preferred  to  shut  himself  up  altogether  in  his  own 
abilities,  and  left  his  real  well-wishers  and  friends  on  the  outside. 
There  was  evidently  no  such  .thing  as  satisfying  the  demands  of  the 
South.  With  unthankfulness  she  took  all  that  was  given  and  de 
manded  more,  and  never  as  much  as  said  "Thank  you !"  She  consid 
ered  that  she  had  done  right  to  secede,  and  was  only  sorry  that  she 


HISTORICAL  ROMA.N'CE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  .NEGRO.      -        169 

had  not  succeeded  with  her  rebellion.  President  Hayes  refused  to 
surrender  his  veto  power  to  those  arrogant  and  secessionist  Congress 
men  at  Washington.  At  last  he  saw  clearly  that  the  South  was  not 
capable  of  appreciating  his  kindness  as  she  ought,  and  that  all  his  good 
intentions  had  been  flung  away.  He  now  decided  to  change  front, 
being  worn  out  with  so  much  arrogance  and  ingratitude.  Dealing  out 
kindness  to  a  gang  of  ex-rebel  officers,  who  had  once  owned  and 
whipped  their  slaves,  was  found  to  be  very  irksome  work.  The  entire 
Republican  party  were  now  firmly  and  solidly  united  against  the" 
South.  The  Cabinet,  which  was  a  splendid  one,  became  more  and 
more  unanimous  than  before ;  the  administration  was  without  fault, 
and  other  good  things  that  followed  in  their  train  did  wonders  for  the 
Republican  party  all  over  the  land.  Among  these  was  the  resumption 
of  specie  payment — a  source  of  delight  to  the  nation.  Thus,  at  last  we 
see  the  Republican  ranks  of  the  North  were  firmly  united.  They  saw 
clearly  that  the  arrogance  of  the  South  was  simply  unlimited,  and 
that  nothing  short  of  the  state  of  things  before  the  war  would  satisfy 
her,  unless,  indeed,  it  was  the  complete  extension  of  her  darling  slav 
ery  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  to  all  the  Northern  States  of  the  Union 
along  the  Canadian  border. 

There  was  one  man  in  this  country  at  the  time  who  clearly  saw 
what  the  country  needed  next  to  tide  her  over  the  present  state  of 
things.  This  clear-sighted  man  was  the  Hon.  Charles  Foster,  Con 
gressman  from  Ohio.  Mr.  Foster  returned  home  to  Ohio  from  Wash 
ington  in  the  summer  of  1878.  He  had  been  watching  with  eagle  eyes 
the  follies  of  President  Hayes  in  the  vain  attempt  he  made  to  pacify 
the  South  by  love  and  kindness.  He  had  watched  the  governments 
of  the  Northern  States  slipping  away  from  their  allegiance  to  the  Re 
publican  party  one  after  another,  and,  indeed,  he  took  in  the  whole 
situation,  and  saw  what  was  needed  to  steer  the  ship  of  state  through 
the  right  channel  in  safety.  Mr.  Foster  saw  that  the  South  had  been 
thoroughly  disloyal  in  every  respect ;  they  had  acted  with  treason  to 
the  Union ;  they  had  not  shown  the  least  desire  to  protect  the  new  citi 
zens,  the  colored  voters  at  the  polls,  but  in  fact  had  purposely  mur 
dered  them  with  the  shot-gun ;  they  had  shown  the  whole  nation  that 
they  were  bent  on  rebellion,  and  nothing  else. 

On  the  first  of  August,  1878,  Mr.  Foster  made  a  great  and  famous 


170  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

speech  at  Upper  Sandusky,  Ohio,  when  he  raised  a  battle-cry  that 
thrilled  the  entire  North,  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  "A  Solid 
North  Against  a  Solid  South !"  This  speech  was  published  in  all  the 
papers  of  the  land,  and  was  kept  up  till  it  elected  Garfield,  in  1880.  On 
account  of  its  immense  influence  during  these  two  years,  I  will  here 
reproduce  it.  Such  a  battle-cry  as  this  should  be  committed  to 
memory. 

Mr.  Foster  proceeded  to  say : 

I  happened  to  be  one  who  thought  and  believed  that  the  President's 
southern  policy,  as  far  as  it  related  to  the  use  of  the  troops  for  the  sup 
port  of  State  Governments,  was  right.  I  sustained  it  upon  the  ground  of 
high  principle, — nevertheless  it  could  have  been  sustained  on  the  ground 
of  necessity.  The  President  has  extended  to  the  people  of  the  south  the 
hand  of  conciliation  and  friendship.  He  has  shown  a  desire,  probably  con 
trary  to  the  wishes  of  the  great  mass  of  his  party,  to  bring  about  by  the 
means  of  conciliation,  better  relations  between  the  north  and  the  south. 
In  doing  this  he  has  alienated  from  him  the  great  mass  of  the  leading  and 
influential  republicans  of  the  country.  He  has  lost  their  sympathy,  and 
to  a  great  degree  their  support.  What  has  he  received  in  return  for  the 
measure  of  conciliation  and  kindness?  How  have  these  measures  been  re 
ceived  by  the  south?  What  advance  can  we  discover  in  them  of  the  recog 
nition  of  the  guarantees  'of  the  irights  of  the  colored  men  under  the  Con 
stitutional  Amendments?  We  see  Jeff.  Davis  making  speeches  as  treason 
able  as  those  of  1861,  and  these  speeches  endorsed  and  applauded  by  a 
great  portion  of  their  press  and  people!  We  see  also  the  declaration  of 
Mr.  Singleton,  of  Mississippi,  in  answer  to  a  question  of  mine  on  the  floor 
of  the  house,  declaring  that  this  paramount  allegiance  in  peace  and  war 
was  due  to  his  State!  No  gentlemen  from  the  south,  or  even  of  the  demo 
cratic  party  has  taken  issue  with  him. 

We  see  also,  all  over  the  south,  a  disposition  to  resist  the  execution 
ot'  the  United  States  laws,  especially  in  the  matter  of  collection  of  internal 
revenue.  Today  there  are  four  United  States  officers  under  arrest  by  the 
authorities  of  the  State  of  South  Carolina,  in  jail  and  bail  refused,  for  an 
alleged  crime  in  their  State,  while  in  fact  these  officers  were  discharging 
their  duty  in  executing  the  laws  of  the  United  States,  in  that  State.  Their 
State  courts  and  their  officers  refused  to  obey  the  writs  of  the  United 
States  courts  in  the  surrender  of  these  United  States  authorities.  No 
former  act  of  this  treasonable  state  shows  a  more  defiant  attitude  towards 
the  United  States  Government,  or  a  greater  disposition  to  trample  011  its 
authority.  I  trust  the  administration  will  in  this  case,  assert,  in  the  most 
vigorous  manner  possible,  the  authority  of  the  United  States  Government 
for  the  rescue  and  protection  of  these  officers.  I  have  no  bloody  shirt  to 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  171 

wave.  If  there  is  one  man  in  this  country  more  than  another,  who  desires 
peace  and  quiet  between  the  sections,  I  blieve  I  am  that  man.  Gentlemen 
may  philosophize  over  this  question  until  they  are  gray,  but  you  cannot 
escape  the  discussion  of  this  question  so  long  as  ithe  Solid  South  menaces 
the  peace  of  the  country.  A  solid  democratic  south  means  the  control  of 
the  country  by  the  spirit  and  the  men  who  sought  its  destruction. 

My  own  opinion  is  that  there  can  be  no  peace.  This  question  will  not 
down  until  the  menace  of  the  Solid  South  is  withdrawn.  I  had  hoped  that 
the  policy  of  President  Hayes  would  lead  to  the  assertion,  by  a  very  con 
siderable  portion  of  the  South,  of  their  antagonism  to  Bourbon  Democracy. 
I  confess  to  a  degree  of  disappointment  in  this,  though  I  think  I  see  signs 
of  a  breaking  up  of  the  Solid  South  in  the  independent  movements  that 
seem  to  be  gaining  a  foothold  in  all  sections  of  that  country.  But  the  ef 
fective  way  to  aid  these  independent  movements;  this  breaking  up  of  all 
the  Solid  South,  is  for  the  North  to  present  itself  united  against  the  Solid 
South.  A  Solid  South  under  the  control  of  the  Democratic  party  means 
the  control  of  the  party  by  this  element.  It  means  the  repeal  of  the  Con 
stitutional  Amendments,  if  not  in  form,  in  spirit.  It  means  the  payment 
of  hundreds  of  rebel  claims.  It  means  the  payment  of  pensions  to  rebel 
soldiers.  It  means  the  payment  for  slaves  lost  in  the  rebellion.  It  means 
the  abrogation  of  that  provision  of  the  Constitution  which  declares  that 
the  citizens  of  one  State  shall  have  all  the  rights,  privileges  and  immunities 
of  the  citizens  of  other  States. 

If  my  Democratic  friends  who  seem  to  be  anxious  to  bring  about  peace 
and  quiet  between  the  sections  are  sincere,  and  desire  to  make  their  ex 
pressions  effective,  they  should  act  with  that  party  which  presents  a  solid 
front,  a  united  North  so  long  as  we  are  menaced  with  the  Solid  South. 

If  it  could  be  understood  in  the  South  that  they  are  to  be  met  with  a 
Solid  North,  I  do  not  believe  that  the  Solid  South  would  exist  in  that  con 
dition  a  single  year.  They  retain  this  position  because  they  believe  they 
can  have  the  support  of  a  fragment  of  the  North;  and  thus  with  this  frag 
ment  rule  and  control  the  country.  I  would  have  no  fear  of  the  control  of 
the  country  by  the  Democratic  party,  if  it  were  made  up  of  something  like 
equal  proportions  from  all  sections  of  the  country.  I  discuss  this  question 
first,  because  I  believe  it  is  the  most  important  question  at  issue  in  the 
pending  canvass.  I  repeat,  that  it  is  the  imperative  duty  of  the  North  to 
meet  the  Solid  South  with  a  united  front! 

The  above  little  speech  thrilled  the  North,  and  put  new  life  into 
the  Republican  party.  .  It  was  a  regular  battle-cry ;  it  was  passed  along* 
the  line  from  city  to  city,  and  from  State  to  State.  It  gave  Mr.  Foster 
the  nomination  for  Governor  of  Ohio,  and  whereas  the  Democrats  had 
possession  of  the  State  by  a  majority  of  23,000,  he  reversed  the  whole 


172  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEG11O. 

question  by  a  Republican  majority  of  17,000,  and  redeemed  the  State 
of  Ohio  to  the  Republican  party.  The  rising  tide  of  enthusiasm  swept 
the  whole  country.  That  famous  little  speech  was  printed  and  set 
forth  by  all  the  papers  of  the  land.  Editorials  were  written  on  the  sub 
ject,  and  orators  all  over  the  land  took  Mr.  Foster's  speech  at  Upper 
Sandusky  as  a  text  from  which  to  preach  their  sermons.  The  whole 
country  was  aroused  over  the  treasonable  designs  and  aims  of  the 
South.  Her  intentions  were  to  come  as  near  back  to  slavery  as  ever 
she  could  get,  or  rather  as  near  as  ever  she  dared  to  come,  once  more. 
But  now  the  North  was  on  her  guard,  and  presented  a  solid  Republi 
can  front  against  the  Solid  South,  and  in  the  course  of  two  years  more 
returned  James  A.  Garfield  as  President  of  the  United  States. 

You  must  have  observed,  my  dear  reader,  in  the  last  few  page*, 
how  the  former  secessionists  arose  in  the  South,  and  tore  down  the  ne 
gro,  or  Republican,  governments  that  ruled  in  the  days  of  Reconstruc 
tion.  You  have  seen  the  arrogance  and  insolence  of  the  rebel  brigad 
ier-generals  who  vaulted  into  their  places,  and  even  came  to  Congress 
at  Washington,  and  attempted  to  tie  the  hands  of  President  Hayes  by 
depriving  him  of  the  right  to  veto.  You  have  seen  how  these  self 
same  rebels  next  began  to  talk  about  pensioning  the  very  soldiers  who 
broke  up  the  Union  for  a  time,  or  at  least  prevented  the  free  course  of 
law  in  the  Southern  States,  and  they  next  built  their  hopes  on  the  pay 
ment  of  their  own  war-claims  and  the  price  of  their  slaves  out  of  the 
United  States  Treasury  at  Washington.  You  have  seen  how  all  the 
above,  and  far  more,  welded  all  the  Northern  States  into  what  was 
termed  "the  Solid  North,"  and  rolled  back  the  great  Southern  waves 
of  presumption  and  insolence,  saying  to  the  sea,  "Thus  far  shalt  thou 
come,  and  no  further;  and  here  shall  thy  proud  waves  be  stayed!" 
Having  said  and  done  so  much,  and  having  awakened  the  Southern 
States  to  their  proper  senses,  a  person  would  have  thought  that  col 
ored  men  would  have  been  restored  to  the  government  of  these  States, 
at  least  in  cases  where  the  colored  men  were  clever  men,  and  therefore 
well  qualified  to  rule.  But  the  aforementioned  Negro,  or  Republican, 
governments  of  the  late  rebel  States  were  not  restored,  though  we  had 
•established  the  "Solid  North,"  and  returned  James  A.  Garfield  to  the 
White  House  as  the  head  of  the  great  republic. 

For  the  time  being,  therefore,  and  for  the  sake  of  peace,  the  North 


HISTORICAL  ItOMANCK  <)K  THE  AMEK1CAN  NEGKO.  173. 

has  not  yet  seen  fit  to  enforce  the  Fifteenth  Amendment,  so  as  to 
compel  the  South  to  make  room  for  the  rightful  share  of  colored  men  in 
the  governments  of  the  South.  If  this  were  France  or  England,  col 
ored  men  would  to-day  be  sitting  side  by  side  with  white  men,  and 
ruling  the  country  together.  But  the  South  was  like  a  termagant, 
fighting  wife,  who  shook  her  firsts  in  her  husband's  face,  and  exclaimed. 
''Look  ye  here  Sam !  This  is  a  white  man's  government  and  I  will 
rule  it  myself,  or  not  rule  at  all ;  for  these  colored  men  shall  not  divide 
the  power  with  me !"  Then  Uncle  Sam,  poor  fellow,  gave  way,  for  a 
time,  for  the  sake  of  peace,  and  ever  since  colored  men  in  the  South 
have  kept  away  from  this  hateful  contention  with  the  white  man  there. 
It  may  have  been  for  the  best  for  the  present,  till  we  are  more  highly 
educated,  and  so  more  fitted  and  qualified  to  rule.  In  the  meantime 
we  are  gathering  knowledge  like  sands  of  the  sea,  and  qualifying  our 
selves  to  hold  any  office  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  Those  rebels  are  rap 
idly  passing  away  who  sold  "their  own  flesh  and  blood"  on  the  auction 
blocks,  and  who  fought  for  slavery  on  many  a  well-contested  field,  and 
at  last  were  subdued  by  physical  force.  They  are  passing  away,  and 
more  intelligent  and  enlightened  children  are  taking  their  places.  And 
we  are  growing  more  and  more  intelligent  every  day  of  the  year,  and 
the  time  must  come,  and  come  soon,  when  we  will  get  all  the  rights 
.that  belong  to  us,  and  one  of  this  is  the  right  for  colored  men  to  rule 
the  entire  Union,  North,  East,  South  and  West,  along  with  all  other 
men.  And,  my  dear  reader,  as  suire  as  there  is  a  God  in 
neaven,  so  sure  is  it  that  we  shall  yet  get  all  that  belongs  to  us,  and 
right  and  justice  shall  prevail  and  flourish  from  the  Lakes  to  the  Gulf  t 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

The  Exodus  of  Colored  People  From  the  South  to  Kansas — Causes 
That  Led  to  it — The  Plantation  Credit  System — Reign  of  Terror 
in  Louisiana  and  Other  States — Trials  on  the  Way  to  Kansas — 
Splendid  Welcome  by  the  State  of  Kansas — Good  Beginning  of 
the  Pilgrims — "God  Helps  Those  Who  Help  Themselves !" 

No  doubt  my  indulgent  reader  has  often  heard  of  the  exodus  of 
many  thousands  of  colored  people  from  the  Southern  States  to  the 
generous  and  hospitable  State  of  Kansas.  This  was  a  truly  remark 
able  movement,  and  began  in  the  early  spring  of  1879.  I  have,  already 
pointed  out  some  of  the  shameful  causes  that  led  to  that  exodus  that 
drew  the  eyes  of  the  whole  nation,  and  elicited  the  most  profound  sym 
pathy  from  all  Christian  and  philanthropic  people  all  over  the  North, 
and  even  in  England.  To  trace  this  deplorable  state  of  affairs  to  their 
foundation  head,  I  need  only  allude  to  what  was  called  at  the  time  "The 
Plantation  Credit  System,"  when  colored  people  worked  on  shares  with 
the  white  owners  of  the  land,  and  the  latter  kept  stores  of  all  kinds  of 
provisions  and  clothing,  and  swindled  the  hard-working  colored  man 
out  of  the  rightful  share  of  the  profits.  The  latter  were  always  over 
charged  for  their  goods,  and  could  never  get  a  clear  settlement.  This 
system  of  robbery  and  swindling  gave  the  laborer  no  chance,  and 
made  him  sigh  for  a  land  of  freedom. 

That  was  bad  enough,  but  there  was  something  worse  that  began 
to  show  itself,  even  before  those  days  when  the  Ku-Klux-Klan  be 
came  regularly  organized  for  the  expulsion  of  the  Republican  govern 
ments  in  the  South,  and  that  was  a  gradual  and  general  adoption  of  the 
shot-gun  policy,  to  make  colored  men  understand  that  the  whites  were 
still  lords  and  masters,  and  colored  people  must  serve  and  obey,  as 
they  used  to  do  before  the  war.  This  shook  the  confidence  of  the  lat 
ter  in  the  general  government  of  the  nation,  for  if  great  Uncle  Sam 
could  afford  them  no  better  protection  than  that,  things  might  as  well 
have  remained  as  they  were,  and  all  their  boasted  freedom  was  of  very 
little  use  to  them,  or  no  account  at  all. 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  175 

In  1868  General  Grant  ran  for  President  on  the  Republican  ticket 
—Grant  and  Colfax — whilst  Seymour  and  Blair  were  the  nominees  on 
the  Democratic  ticket.  Although  the  rebel  element  had  always  been 
too  rampant  in  the  State  of  Louisiana,  they  grew  ten  times  more  as  the 
day  for  the  election  for  President  drew  near.  It  was  particularly  de 
sired  by  the  Democrats  of  the  South  to  carry  Louisiana  for  Seymour 
and  Blair.  The  plan  they  adopted  was  the  wholesale  use  of  the  shot 
gun  in  the  different  "parishes"  (or  counties)  of  the  State.  The  rebels 
began  their  work  of  murder,  terror  and  intimidation  in  good  time  be 
fore  the  election  day  in  November.  Wherever  the  Republican  votes 
were  likely  to  be  heaviest,  there  a  great  effort  was  made  to  kill,  maim 
and  scatter  all  those  white  and  colored  men  who  would  be  likely  to 
vote  for  Grant  and  Colfax.  These  Southern  thugs  in  Louisiana  and 
other  States  of  the  South  put  in  their  fell  work  mostly  after  dark,  kill 
ing,  burning  and  destroying  in  every  possible  way.  It  soon  became 
well  understood  that  the  rebels  were  aiming  at  the  coming  election ; 
and  for  a  fact,  when  election  day  came  there  were  very,  very  few  men 
in  the  different  parishes  of  Louisiana  that  voted  the  Republican  ticket, 
because  they  were  afraid  of  their  lives ;  and  who  need  wonder  if  they 
stayed  away  from  the  polls  when  the  United  States  Government  af 
forded  them  no  protection  in  casting  their  votes  ?  All  things  had  gone 
finely  during  the  years  of  the  Republican  governments  in  the  Southern 
States,  when  men  owned  their  own  land,  and  there  was  no  one  to. 
ti  ouble  them,  or  to  make  them  afraid ;  but  these  reconstruction  govern 
ments  were  now  tottering  to  their  fall ;  the  white  man  demanded  the 
government,  and  the  law,  too*,  and  evil  days  were  in  store  for  the  col 
ored  race  in  the  South. 

The  following  lines  from  the  pen  of  General  P.  H.  Sheridan  will 
help  to  explain  the  cause  of  the  exodus.  He  was  the,n  in  command  at 
New  Orleans,  and  writes  under  the  date  of  January  loth,  1875 : 

Since  the  year  1866  nearly  3,500  persons,  a  great  majority  of  whom 
were  colored  men,  have  been  killed  and  wounded  in  the  State.  In  1868  the 
official  record  shows  that  1,884  were  killed  and  wounded.  From  1868  to 
the  present  time,  no  official  invest igution  has  been  made,  and  in  the  civil 
authorities  in  all  but  a  few  cases  have  been  unable  to  arrest,  convict  or 
punish  the  perpetrators.  Consequently  there  are  no  correct  records  to  be 
consulted  for  information.  There  is  ample  evidence,  however,  to  show  that 
more  than  1,200  persons  have  been  killed  and  wounded  during  this  time  on 


176  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

account  of  their  political  sentiments.    Frightful  massacres  have  occurred  in 
the  parishes  of  Bossier,  Caddo,  Catahoula,  St.  Bernard,  Grant  and  Orleans. 

After  this,  General  Sheridan  went  on  to  enumerate  the  murders 
committed  on  account  of  their  Republican  sentiments  in  the  various 
parishes  of  Louisiana,  and  says : 

Human  life  in  this  State  is  held  so  cheapl3'  that  when  men  are  killed  o  i 
account  of  political  opinions,  the  murderers  are  regarded  rather  as  heroes 
than  as  criminals  in  the  localities  where  they  reside. 

The  man  who  writes  the  above  is  no  ordinary  correspondent.  The 
writer  is  the  famous  soldier,  P.  H.  Sheridan,  and  he  is  merely  sending* 
in  his  report  as  military  commander  in  the  State.  And  whole  volumes 
of  other  testimony  have  been  taken,  as  exactly  as  was  done  in  the  case 
01  the  massacre  of  Fort  Pillow,  which  confirm  in  every  respect  the 
words  of  General  Sheridan. 

The  documents  in  which  these  political  murders  have  been  re 
corded  show  that  a  perfect  reign  of  terror  existed  all  over  the  State  in 
1867,  the  year  before  the  Presidential  election.  In  the  parish  of  St. 
Landry  there  was  a  massacre  of  colored  people  that  began  on  the  28th 
ol  September  in  the  following  year,  1868,  and  lasted  from  three  to  six 
days,  and  during  that  time  between  three  hundred  and  four  hun 
dred  were  killed.  Thirteen  captains  were  taken  from  the  jail  and  shot, 
and  a  pile  of  twenty-five  dead  bodies  were  found  burned  in  the  woods. 
And  what  was  the  Democratic  result  in  this  parish  of  St.  Landry?  The 
registered  Republican  majority  of  1,071  was  completely  wiped  out,  and 
when  the  general  election  for  President  came  on  a  few  weeks  later,  not 
a  single  vote  was  cast  for  Grant  and  Colfax,  whilst  Seymour  and  Blair 
received  4,787.  What  a  spectacle  was  this  for  the  whole  civilized  world 
to  look  upon  only  three  years  and  a  half  after  the  fall  of  the  Confeder 
acy  !  All  those  murders  were  committed  right  here  in  free  America ! 

In  the  parish  of  Bossier,  there  was  just  such  another  massacre  be 
tween  the  2Oth  and  3Oth  of  September,  1868,  and  which  lasted  from 
three  to  four  days,  and  during  that  time  two  hundred  colored  people 
were  killed.  The  official  register  for  Bossier  parish  for  the  year  1868 
shows  that  the  Republican  voters  numbered  i  ,938.  But  when  the  Presi 
dential  election  came  on,  only  one  vote  was  cast !  Such  was  the  result 
of  the  shot-gun  policy  in  Bossier  parish. 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  177 

During  the  month  of  October,  1868,  the  month  before  the  elec 
tion,  over  forty  colored  people  were  killed  in  the  parish  of  Caddo.  The 
Republican  register  shows  that  there  were  2,894  votes,  and  yet  when 
the  election  came  on  there  was  only  one  such  vote  cast  out  of  all  that 
number.  And  the  same  things  happened  all  over  the  State.  \j 

During  the  months  of  September,  October  and  November,  the* 
number  of  murders,  maimings  and  whippings  that  took  place  for  po^ 
litical  reasons  were  a  thousand.  The  names  of  Republican  voters  in 
twenty-eight  parishes  amounted  to  47,923 ;  but  when  the  Presidential 
election  came  on  a  few  weeks  later,  only  5,360  votes  were  cast  for 
Grant  and  Colfax,  whilst  the  Democratic  gain,  from  the  shot-gun  pol 
icy,  amounted  to  42,563. 

In  nine  of  the  parishes,  where  most  of  the  murder  and  violence  was 
carried  on,  only  nineteen  votes  were  cast  for  Gen.  Grant,  though  there 
were  11,604  names  on  the  Republican  register.  In  other  seven  parishes 
where  there  were  7,253  names  on  the  register,  not  one  vote  was  cast 
for  the  Republican  nominees  at  the  subsequent  election  in  November. 

In  the  years  that  followed  1868,  when  noilitical  lawlessness  was 
held  in  check,  these  same  Republican  parishes  cast  from  33,000  to  37,- 
ooo  votes,  which  proved  that  terrorism  was  the  rebel  policy  of  1868. 

Thus  things  went  on  from  1868  to  1876,  when  the  Democracy  of 
Louisiana  desired  to  carry  the  State  for  Tilden  and  Hendricks.  The 
candidates  for  Republican  President  and  Vice-President  were  Hayes 
and  Wheeler;  and  everybody  knew  that  colored  men  would  not  vote 
the  Democratic  ticket.  The  same  murderous  policy  was  again  adopted 
as  in  1868,  and  the  results  were  much  the  same.  On  election  day,  in 
November,  1876,  there  were  in  Louisiana  92,996  registered  white 
voters,  and  115,310  colored  voters,  giving  a  majority  of  22,314  votes 
that  should  have  been  cast  for  Hayes.  It  would  be  quite  unnecessary 
to  quote  the  "returns"  from  the  different  parishes  of  Louisiana.  It 
would  only  be  a  repetition  of  1868  over  again.  And  after  all  was 
done  it  did  not  profit  the  Southern  Democrats  any,  for  it  was  proven 
that  they  had  carried  the  parishes  by  violence ;  and  therefore  the  par 
ishes  were  not  counted  in  the  returns. 

And  Louisiana  was  not  the  only  State  where  the  thugs  attempted 
to  suppress  voting  by  violence  amongst  the  colored  men.  It  was  the 


178  HISTOKICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGKO. 

self-same  policy  everywhere  throughout  the  South,  and  as  a  rule  col 
ored  men  kept  away  from  the  polls,  in  fear  of  their  lives. 

Now,  my  dear  reader,  I  have  placed  before  you  the  reasons  that 
led  our  oppressed  people  to  rise  up  in  the  early  spring  of  1879,  anc^ 
search  out  for  themselves  new  homes,  where  they  could  dwell  in 
safety,  and  where  they  would  not  be  robbed,  oppressed  and  burned  out, 
and  even  murdered  on  account  of  their  political  opinions.  Colored 
men  could  never  be  expected  to  vote  the  Democratic  ticket.  Besides, 
were  they  not  free  ?  And  had  they  not  the  right  to  vote  as  they  pleased, 
even  as  others  had?  They  never  dreamed  of  terrorizing  the  whites 
because  they  would  not  vote  the  Republican  ticket.  It  was  a  most 
remarkable  thing  that  President  Grant,  the  great  war  general,  who 
had  conquered  the  South,  was  unable  to  devise  ways  and  means  to 
protect  the  lives  of  colored  men  on  election  days.  So  far  as  I  have  ever 
^heard  there  was  not  even  a  semblance  of  protection  anywhere  in  those 
States  where  it  was  desired  to  carry  the  same  for  the  Democratic 
nominees.  Thus  colored  men  were  left  unprotected  in  all  their  natural 
Tights  by  the  very  Government  itself  that  had  passed  the  Constitutional 
Amendments.  In  fact  they  were  left  like  sheep  in  the  midst  of  wolves. 
They  had  been  swindled  and  cheated  in  every  way,  as  I  have  already 
shown.  The  Government  now  failed  to  protect  their  very  lives,  and 
therefore  they  began  to  turn  their  eyes  to  other  regions  where  they 
could  at  least  worship  God,  and  sleep  in  their  beds  in  safety.  The  shot 
gun  policy  was  now  beginning  to  recoil  on  itself,  for  who  can  till  the 
soil  of  the  South  like  colored  men  ? 

The  State  of  Kansas  possessed  many  attractions  for  our  oppressed 
and  wronged  people.  All  had  often  heard  of  the  long  struggle  there 
between  the  border  ruffians  from  the  South,  and  the  free  soil  men  of 
the  North,  as  to  whether  Kansas  should  be  enslaved  or  free ;  and  how 
at  last  it  had  been  won  by  the  Abolitionists  as  a  free  State.  All  had 
heard  how  the  immortal  John  Brown  (of  glorious  memory)  had  warred 
and  fought  in  Kansas  for  the  liberty  of  all  people,  and  how  in  1861 
the  struggle  between  slavery  and  liberty  had  been  transferred- from  the 
soil  of  Kansas  to  the  rebel  lands  of  South  Carolina.  Thus  Kansas  had 
a  name  that  charmed  all  hearts,  and  letters  that  were  written  at  the 
time  by  those  colored  families  already  settled  down  there  and  flourish 
ing,  like  the  green  bay-tree,  among  a  good  and  just  white  population, 


HISTORICAL   ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN    .\K(iK().  179 

gave  glorious  accounts  of  the  new  State  in  the  West,  and  invited  all 
others  to  come  and  settle  clown  on  its  fertile  lands  who  wished  for 
peaceful  homes. 

One  thing  was  clear — colored  people  could  not  afford  to  remain 
in  the  old  rebel  States  of  the  South,  where  there  was  no  safety'  for  their 
lives,  and  where  even  the  national  government  appeared  unable  to 
protect  them.  Indeed,  something  must  be  done  soon. 

Here  are  a  few  questions  and  answers  that  will  speak  for  them 
selves  : 

"Xow,  Uncle  Joe,  what  did  you  come  for?" 

"Oh,  Lawd,  Missus,  I  follows  my  two  boys  and  the  old  woman ; 
and  then,  'pears  like  I  wants  a  taste  of  votin'  before  I  dies,  an'  the  ole 
man  done  wants  no  swamps  to  wade  in  afore  he  votes,  'kase  he  must 
be  Republican,  ye  see !" 

"Well,  Aunty,  give  us  the  sympathetic  side  of  the  story,  or  tell 
us  what  you  think  of  leaving  your  old  home." 

"I  done  have  no  home,  nohow,  if  they  shoots  my  ole  man  an'  the 
boys,  an'  gives  me  no  money  for  de  washing." 

"A  bright  woman  of  twenty-five  years  of  age  was  asked  her  con 
dition,  when  she  answered, 

"I  hadn't  much  real  trouble  yet,  like  some  of  my  neighbors  who 
lost  everything.  We  had  a  lot,  an'  a  little  house,  an'  some  stock  on  the 
place.  We  sold  all  out,  'kase  we  didn't  dare  to  stay  when  votin'  time 
came  again.  Some  neighbors  better  off  than  we  had  been  all  broken 
up  by  a  pack  of  night-riders,  all  in  white,  who  scared  everybody  to 
death,  ran  the  men  off  the  swamps  before  elections,  ran  the  stock  off, 
an'  set  fire  to  their  places.  A  poor  woman  might  as  well  be  killed, 
and  done  with  it." 

\Vhoever  read  anything  more  pathetic  than  the  above  ?  Who  can 
wonder  any  longer  that  a  regular  panic  seized  upon  the  people  in  cer 
tain  sections  on  the  South  to  go  forth  unto  a  land  they  knew  not, 
where  they  could  live  in  peace  and  safety  among  a  better  race  of  men  ? 
The  number  of  persecuted  pilgrims,  those  seeking  a  home  in  Kansas, 
is  variously  given  at  between  forty  and  sixty  thousand  men,  women  and 
children.  When  the  army  of  the  Israelites  left  Egypt,  they  were  well 
supplied,  for  they  had  been  instructed  to  ask  of  the  Egyptians  anything 
they  wanted ;  but  these  40,000  or  60,000  people  departed  in  most  cases 


180  HlsroKK  AL   UOMAXCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

with  absolutely  nothing  but  the  clothes  they  stood  in,  and  they  were 
often  poorly  clad,  often  hungry  and  exhausted,  and  in  need  of 
all  things.  Some,  indeed,  had  teams  of  oxen  that  brought  on  all  their 
earthly  possessions,  dragging  their  weary  length  along  day  after  day, 
and  week  after  week,  and  straining  their  longing  eyes  towards  the 
fields  of  Kansas  and  liberty.  Some  of  these  pilgrims  that  came  no  fur 
ther  than  from  Texas  were  actually  nine  weeks  on  the  road!  Poor, 
dear  creatures !  How  sweet  to  them  must  have  been  the  hopes  and 
anticipations  of  a  peaceful  home,  when  they  were  willing  to  make  such 
tremendous  sacrifices  that  they  might  cross  over  into  the  fair  and  fer 
tile  fields  of  Kansas !  "Sweet  fields  beyond  the  swelling  flood  stood 
dressed  in  living  green ;  so  to  the  Jews  old  Canaan  stood,  while  Jordan 
rolled  between." 

A  great  deal  was  written  at  that  time,  a  great  deal  has  been  writ 
ten  since  then,  and  a  great  deal  will  still  be  written  about  the  sufferings 
of  those  poor,  dear  pilgrims ;  but  the  whole  truth  of  what  they  really 
did  suffer  on  the  way,  with  all  the  hardships  that  confronted  them  in 
the  days  of  their  distress  will  never,  never  be  told.  Indeed,  it  cannot ; 
it  is  impossible.  One  thing  we  all  know — the  colored  race  is  preemi 
nently  a  religious  race.  They  will  warship  God.  The  germs  of  immor 
tality  are  safe  within  the  bosoms  of  all  thinking  men  and  women 
among  them.  They  were  always  faithful  to  their  God,  even  in  the  dark 
est  days  of  slavery.  Like  Paul,  they  could  say,  "I  can  do  all  things 
through  Christ,  Who  strengthens  me."  Indeed  it  is  most  marvelous 
what  any  of  us  may  do,  and  can  do,  when  we  are  put  upon  our  muscle. 
The  world  has  often  been  astonished  at  deeds  performed  jby  puny 
women,  and  even  mere  boys  and  girls.  But  such  need  hardly  have 
been  the  case,  for  none  can  tell  what  they  can  do  themselves  until  they 
are  tried,  and  the  grand  resolutions  of  the  soul  arise  like  a  hurricane  to 
meet  terrors  and  trials  of  the  situation.  There  are  always  heroes  and" 
heroines  in  the  world,  ready  when  called  for. 

But  although  the  grand  and  high-soaring  resolutions  of  heart 
and  soul  worked  wonders — I  had  almost  said  miracles — among  the 
pilgrims  of  this  exodus ;  still,  no>ne  of  us  are  made  of  iron,  and  the 
strain  proved  too  '^uch  for  the  bodies  of  some  of  those  devoted  peopk-. 
for  they  died  soor  after  reaching  the  Canaan  of  their  hopes :  they 
died  in  the  consecrated  soil  of  Kansas,  and  the  angels  of  heaven  came 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  181 

down  and  carried  them  home.  A  result  like  this  was  to  be  expected, 
and  the  only  wonder  is  that  more  of  them  did  not  perish,  even  while 
they  were  on  the  way.  The  Lord  knows  those  that  are  His ;  we  shall 
meet  them  in  heaven ! 

There  was  no  time  to  be  lost.  News  travels  fast  in  the  days  of 
electric  telegraph,  and  even  of  railroads  and  steamboats.  The  news  of 
the  tide  of  the  exodus  from  the  murderous  sections  of  the  Sunny  South 
was  swiftly  wafted  all  over  the  land,  and  even  crossed  the  broad  At 
lantic  to  mother  England.  Swift  as  the  fleet  winds,  Christians  and  phil 
anthropists  were  on  their  feet  at  once,  and  a  relief  association  was  or 
ganized.  "They  give  twice  who  give  quickly."  A  dear  Quaker  lady 
named  Mrs.  Comstock  (whose  name  is  written  in  the  Book  of  Life) 
immediately  put  herself  at  the  head  of  affairs,  and  aided  by  "The  Kan 
sas  Freedman's  Relief  Association,"  she  was  just  the  right  and  proper 
person  to  manage  the  raising  of  money,  clothing  and  relief  in  every 
shape  and  form.  The  name  of  Governor  St.  John,  of  Kansas,  must  be 
associated  with  this  glorious  work  of  swiftly  relieving  the  pilgrims  in 
the  day  of  their  distress.  He  will  ever  stand  before  the  world  as  a 
Christian  and  a  gentleman  for  his  willing  help  at  this  time.  We  too  of 
ten  hear  people  speaking  of  "this  bad  world,"  but  this  world  contains 
millions  of  friends — all  ready  for  the  day  of  trial ! 

The  pilgrims  from  the  South  were  not  long  in  turning  round  after 
they  reached  the  friendly  and  welcoming  lands  of  Kansas.  They  felt 
safe  now,  and  had  no  more  to  fear.  They  soon  became  self-sustaining, 
because  they  were  willing,  and  had  a  mind  to  work.  All  their  past  sor 
rows  were  now  Happily  forgotten ;  they  took  hold,  and  were  most  en 
thusiastic,  industrious  and  frugal.  The  relief  association  at  first  gave 
them  a  supply  of  stoves,  teams  and  seeds.  In  a  little  over  a  year  about 
$40,000  were  used,  and  500,000  pounds  of  clothing,  bedding,  and  so 
forth.  "Old  England"  sent  50,000  pounds  of  goods,  and  $8,000  in 
money,  which  chiefly  came  from  Mrs.  Comstock's  friends  in  "the  tight 
little  island"  beyond  the  seas,  who  had  known  her  there  by  her  good 
works.  Much  of  the  remainder  had  come  in  small  sums,  and  from  the 
Christian  women  of  America.  The  most  noble  and  loyal  Quakers  fur 
nished  one-third.  The  State  of  Ohio  gave  more  than  any  other  State. 
The  funds  of  the  State  of  Kansas  were  not  drawn  upon. 

The  freedman  at  once  set  to  work,  and  during  the  first  year  en- 


182  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

tered  upon  the  cultivation  of  20,000  acres  of  land,  and  they  ploughed 
and  fitted  3,000  acres  for  grain-growing.  They  also,  built  300  cabins 
and  dugouts,  and  amassed  $30,000  in  money.  We  have  heard  of  one 
Henry  Carter,  a  colored  man  of  Tennessee,  who  set  out  from  Topeka 
in  1878,  and  made  his  way  on  foot  for  Dunlap,  which  was  sixty-five 
miles  away;  he  carried  his  own  tools,  whilst  his  plucky  wife  carried 
their  bed  clothes.  In  1880  he  had  forty  acres  of  land  cleared,  and  had 
made  the  first  payment  for  the  same.  He  earned  that  money  by  work 
ing  on  sheep  ranches,  and  making  himself  generally  useful.  He  built 
for  himself  and  wife  a  good  stone  cottage,  sixteen  feet  by  ten,  and  then 
owned  a  horse,  a  cow  and  other  things  besides.  Not  only  did  the 
white  people  assist  the  pilgrims,  as  good  friends  and  neighbors,  far  and 
wide,  over  all  the  broad  lands  of  Kansas,  but  colored  families  pulled 
and  hauled  together,  lent  and  borrowed,  and  most  willingly  assisted 
one  another  in  every  conceivable  way.  "Good  Samaritans"  sprang  up 
in  all  directions,  thicker  than  the  grass  of  the  field.  These  blessed  eyes 
01  mine,  dear  reader,  were  privileged  to  look  upon  many  letters  at  the 
time,  giving  lovely  accounts  of  the  way,  the  doings  and  sayings  of  the 
good  folks  of  Kansas.  With  what  warmth  of  feeling  did  they  praise 
all  their  neighbors,  colored  and  white  alike,  and  pressed  upon  all  "to 
come  out !"  There  were,  of  course,  many  who  arrived  at  first  at  To 
peka,  and  other  large  towns,  in  a  sadly  destitute  condition,  needing 
clothing,  food,  medicine  and  all  things.  But  they  were  at  once  assisted 
upon  their  feet — they  turned  round  at  once  like  swift  winds,  and  all 
were  soon  most  industriously  at  work.  None  were  ever  arrested  for 
stealing,  and  very  few  were  found  drunk.  All  at  once  "made  tracks/' 
as  we  say,  for  the  Church  of  God,  and  the  bible  and  the  school-house . 
The  colored  children  were  at  once  admitted  into  the  public  schools,  as 
the  color  of  the  skin  was  too  paltry  a  matter  to  be  noticed  by  the  great- 
minded  people  of  the  State  of  Kansas.  Industrial  schools  were  also 
set  going  for  all  those  who  needed  such  institutions.  May  God  forever 
bless  the  State  of  Kansas  for  her  unsurpassed  humanity  and  hospital 
ity  to  our  oppressed  people  in  the  days  of  their  distress !  This  is  a 
most  uncommonly  prosperous  and  well-to-do  State.  The  Lord  has 
smiled  upon  them,  and  remembered  all  their  loving  ways. 

John   M.   Brown,   Esq.,  was  the   general   superintendent   of   the 
Freedman's  Relief  Association,  and  in  February,  1880,  he  read  a  verv 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  183 

interesting  report  before  the  Association,  of  which  the  following  is 
an  extract : 

The  great  exodus  of  colored  people  from  the  South  began  about  the 
first  of  February,  1879.  By  the  first  of  April,  1,300  refugees  had  gathered 
around  Wyandotte,  Kansas.  Many  of  them  were  in  a  suffering  condition. 
It  was  then  that  the  Kansas  Relief  Association  came  into  existence,  for 
the  purpose  of  helping  the  most  needy  among  the  refugees  from  the  South 
ern  States.  Up  to  date,  about  60,000  refugees  have  come  to  the  State  of 
Kansas  to  live.  Nearly  40,000  of  them  were  in  a  destitute  condition  when 
they  arrived,  and  have  been  helped  by  our  association.  We  have  received 
to  date  $68,000  for  the  relief  of  the  refugees.  About  5,000  of  those  who 
have  come  to  Kansas  have  gone  to  other  States  to  live,  leaving  about  55,000 
yet  in  Kansas.  About  30,000  of  that  number  have  settled  in  the  country, 
some  of  those  on  lands  of  their  own  or  rented  lands;  others  have  hired 
out  to  the  farmers,  leaving  about  25,000  in  and  around  the  different  cities 
and  towns  of  Kansas.  There  has  been  great  suffering  among  those  re 
maining  in  and  near  the  cities  and  towns  this  winter.  It  has  been  so  cold 
that  they  could  not  find  employment;  and  if  they  did,  they  had  to  work 
for  very  low  wages;  because  so  many  of  them  were  looking  for  work  that 
they  were  in  each  other's  way. 

Most  of  those  about  the  cities  and  towns  are  with  large  families, 
widows,  and  very  old  people.  The  farmers  want  only  able-bodied  men 
for  their  work,  and  it  is  very  hard  for  men  with  large  families  to  get 
homes  among  the  farmers.  Kansas  is  a  new  State,  and  most  farmers  have 
small  houses,  and  they  cannot  take  large  families  to  live  with  them.  So 
when  the  farmers  call  for  help,  they  usually  call  for  a  man  and  his  wife 
only,  or  for  a  single  man  or  woman. 

Now  in  order  that  men  with  large  families  may  become  owners  of 
land,  and  be  able  to  support  their  families,  the  Kansas  Freedman's  Re 
lief  Association,  if  they  can  secure  the  means,  will  purchase  cheap  lands 
which  can  be  bought  at  from  $3  to  $5  per  acre,  on  long  time,  by  making 
a  small  payment  in  cash.  They  will  settle  the  refuges  on  these  lands,  let 
ting  each  family  have  from  20  to  40  acres,  and  not  settling  more  than  six 
teen  families  in  any  one  neighborhood,  so  that  they  can  easily  obtain  work 
from  the  farmers  in  that  section  or  near  by.  I  do  not  think  it  best  to 
settle  too  many  of  them  in  any  one  place,  because  it  will  make  it  hard 
for  them  to  find  employment. 

If  our  Association  can  help  them  to  build  a  small  house,  and  have 
five  acres  of  their  land  broken,  the  women  and  children  can  cultivate  the 
five  acres  and  make  enough  to  support  their  families,  while  the  men  are 
out  at  work  by  the  day  to  meet  the  payments  on  their  land  when  they 
become  due.  In  this  way  many  families  can  be  helped  to  homes  of  their 


184  HISTOKICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

own,  where  they  can  become  self-sustaining,  educate  their  children,  and 
be  useful  citizens  to  the  State  of  Kansas. 

Money  spent  in  this  way  will  be  much  more  profitable  to  them  than 
so  much  old  clothing  and  provisions.  They  will  no  longer  be  objects  of 
charity,  or  a  burden  to  benevolent  people. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

Continuation  of  the  Exodus  to  Kansas — Complete  Success  of  That 
Grand  Movement — Similar  Governments  Elsewhere — Resolution 
of  the  Hon.  D.  W.  Voorhees  in  Congress — A  Perfect  Farce  In  It 
self — The  Story  of  the  Exodus — Its  End. 

We  are  not  to  suppose,  my  dear  reader,  that  the  coming  of  so 
many  colored  people  to  Kansas  was  in  the  beginning  cordially  agreed 
to  by  every  white  citizen  of  that  State.  Indeed,  the  exodus  of  these 
poor  pilgrims  and  refugees  to  their  consecrated  soil  was  at  first  met 
with  the  most  determined  and  violent  opposition  by  many.  But  the 
new  immigrants  were  usually  so  active,  sincere  and  clever  in  all  their 
movements  that  they  at  once  disarmed  all  opposition,  and  the  white 
residents  at  once  grounded  the  arms  of  their  rebellion.  With  few  ex 
ceptions,  everybody  was  well  pleased  with  the  new-comers,  and  they 
were  made  thrice  welcome  to  the  soil  of  Kansas.  Behold  the  hand  of 
God  in  all  this !  St.  Paul  advises  us  to  be  hospitable  and  entertain 
strangers,  "for  some  have  thereby  entertained  angels  unawares,"  he 
continues  to  say.  Indeed,  I  know  of  no  better  way  to  draw  down 
the  abundant  blessings  of  high  heaven  upon  our  heads  than  by  reliev 
ing  really  worthy  and  deserving  people  in  the  day  of  their  distress.  Our 
Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ  Himself  pronounced  a  splendid  eulogy 
upon  those  who  relieved  the  hungry,  thirsty,  the  sick  and  the  prisoners, 
and  He  winds  up  his  glorious  sermon  by  saying,  "Inasmuch  as  ye  have 
done  it  unto  the  least  of  these,  my  disciples,  ye  have  done  it  unto  Me ; 
enter  ye  into  the  joy  of  your  Lord !"  If  ever  Christ's  words  were  car 
ried  out  to  the  very  fullest  extent,  they  were  carried  out  by  the  welcome 
reception  of  our  pilgrim  host  to  the  soil  of  Kansas.  The  Lord  has  a 
long  memory  for  a  kind  act,  and  He  has  not  been  unmindful  to  shower 
His  blessings  on  this  flourishing  State. 

But  after  all,  the  season  of  agony,  doubts  and  fears  was  but  of 
short  duration.  By  the  year  1881,  at  the  very  latest,  the  regular  tide 
of  the  refugees  had  discontinued  to  flow,  the  work  of  the  "Kansas 
Freedmen's  Relief  Association"  had  entirely  and  successfully  com- 


186  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

pleted  its  work  and  disbanded  itself,  as  the  Union  soldiers  did  when 
the  Civil  War  was  over.  How  glorious  is  all  this  now  to  sit  down  and 
think  of.!  "As  one  door  shuts,  another  opens."  Very  good,  indeed 
Let  us  thank  God  that  the  world  is  so  big  and  roomy ;  and  if  we  have 
plenty  of  enemies  here,  we  have  plenty  of  friends  also.  It  was  so  in 
the  old-time  bible  days,  for  in  that  blessed  book  we  read  how  hosts  of 
people,  and  even  individuals,  rose  up,  and  departed  in  millions,  in 
thousands  and  hundreds,  and  even  in  single  cases,  and  went  away  from 
among  "devils,"  that  they  might  dwell  in  peace  among  better  people. 
Thus  history  has  simply  repeated  itself  over  and  over  again,  and  the 
exodus  of  colored  people  from  the  South  is  perhaps  the  most  recent  ex 
ample  of  that  oft-repeated  affair.  And  it  is  safe  to  say,  when  we  con 
sider  the  natural  badness  of  the  human  race,  that  other  exoduses  else 
where  will  follow.  It  may  not  be  in  this  country,  but  it  will  be  some 
where. 

There  is  an  old  but  true  saying  that  "None  are  so  blind  as  those 
who  don't  want  to  see,"  which  leads  me  on  to  say  that  the  Hon.  D.  W. 
Voorhees,  United  States  Senator  from  Indiana,  must  either  have  been 
most  dreadfully  blind  to  the  truth,  or  else  he  must  have  been  in  a  very 
childish  humor,  when  he  introduced  his  famous  resolution  into  the 
Senate  at  Washington  for  the  investigation  of  "The  causes  of  the  mi 
gration  of  the  colored  people  from  the  Southern  to  the  Northern 
States."  Now,  since  this  world  began,  dear  reader,  when  did  any  one 
of  us  ever  hear  of  such  a  farce  as  this  ?  To  institute  a  national  inquiry 
of  the  causes  of  the  exodus  of  entire  legions  of  men,  women  and  chil 
dren,  when  Mr.  Voorhees  and  the  whole  population  of  the  United 
States  knew  all  about  things  before  he  ever  asked  the  question  ?  That 
inquiry  cost  the  government  thousands  of  dollars — flung  away  upon 
what  every  man,  woman  and  child  knew  already!  Verily,  this  was 
the  greatest  national  farce  ever  heard -of  from  the  creation  of  the  world 
down  to  the  present  time  of  writing! 

While  this  inquiry  was  going  on,  money  and  clothing  were  sent 
to  the  State  of  Kansas  by  every  train ;  and  the  refugees  were  rapidly 
scattered  all  over  the  different  counties  as  fast  as  the  relief  association 
could  secure  homes  for  them. 

The  "Chicago  Inter-Ocean"  newspaper  sent  a  special  correspond 
ent  to  Topeka,  to  report  on  the  state  of  things  in  Kansas,  in  connec- 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  187 

tion  with  the  pilgrims  from  the  Sunny  South.    This  faithful  man  made 
the  following  report,  which  is  so  very  interesting  that  I  will  copy  it 

in  full : 

TOPEKA,  KANSAS,  April  9th. 

During  the  last  few  days  I  have  in  obedience  to  your  request  been 
taking  notice  of  the  exodus  as  it  may  be  studied  here  at  the  headquarters 
for  relief  among  the  refugees  in  Kansas.  This  is  the  third  visit  your  cor 
respondent  nas  made  to  the  "promised  land"  of  the  dusky  hosts,  who  flee 
ing  from  persecution  and  wrongs,  have  swarmed  within  its  borders  to  the 
number  of  25,000.  In  a  letter  written  here  in  December  last  the  number 
then  within  the  State  was  estimated  about  15,000,  and  since  that  date  at 
least  12,000  more  have  come.  In  the  "barracks"  to-day  I  found  what  seemed 
to  be  the  same  one  hundred  who  crowded  about  the  stave  that  cold  De 
cember  day;  but  they  were  not  the  same  of  course,  but  their  places  have 
been  filled  many  times  since  with  other  hundreds,  who  have  found  their 
first  welcome  to  Kansas  in  the  rest,  food  and  warmth,  which  the  charity 
or'  the  North  has  provided  here.  So  efficient  have  the  plan  of  relief  and  the 
machinery  of  distribution  been  made,  that  of  the  thousands  who  have  passed 
through  here,  none  have  remained  as  a  burden  of  expense  to  the  Associa 
tion  more  than  four  or  five  days  before  places  were  found  where  their 
own  labor  could  furnish  them  support.  "If  that  pure  statesman  of  Indi 
ana,  (Mr.  Voorhees)  whose  great  heart  was  so  filled  with  solicitude  for  the 
welfare  of  his  colored  brethren,  that  he  asked  Congress  to  appropriate 
thousands  of  dollars  to  ascertain  why  they  moved  from  one  State  to  an 
other  will  come  here, — he  will  be  rewarded  with  such  a  flood  of  light  on 
the  question  as  could  never  penetrate  the  recesses  of  his  committee-room 
in  Washington.  He  need  hardly  propound  an  inquiry;  he  had,  indeed,  best 
not  let  his  great  presence  be  known, — for  in  the  presence  of  "Democracy" 
the  negro  has  learned  to  keep  silence.  But  in  search  of  the  truon,  let  him 
go  to  the  file  of  over  3,000  letters  in  the  Governor's  office  from  negroes  in 
the  South,  and  read  in  them  the  homely  but  truthful  tales  of  suffering, 
oppression  and  wrongs.  Let  him  note  how  real  is  their  complaint,  but 
how  modest  the  boon  they  ask;  for,  in  different  words, — sometimes  in 
qiiaint  and  often  in  awkward  phrases,  the  questions  are  always  the  same, — 
"Can  we  be  free?  Can  we  have  work?  And  can  we  have  our  rights  in 
Kansas?"  Let  him  go  next  to  the  "barracks,"  and  watch  the  tired,  ragged, 
hungry,  scared-looking  negroes  as  they  come  by  the  dozens  on  every  train. 
If  he  is  not  prompted  by  shame,  then  from  caution  necessary  to  the  suc 
cess  of  his  errand,  let  him  here  conceal  the  fact  that  he  is  a  "Democrat;" 
for  these  half-famished  and  terrified  negroes  have  been  fleeing  from  Dem 
ocrats  in  the  South,  and  in  their  ignorance  they  may  not  be  able  to  com 
prehend  the  nice  distinction  between  a  northern  and  a  southern  Democrat. 
I?  he  will  be  content  simply  to  listen  as  they  talk  among  themselves,  he 


188  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

will  soon  learn  much  that  the  laborious  cross-examination  of  witnesses 
has  failed  to  teach  him.  He  may  take  note  of  the  fact  that  fleeing  from 
robbery,  oppression  and  murder,  they  come  only  with  the  plea  for  work 
and  justice  while  they  work.  He  may  see  reason  to  criticise  what  has 
generally  been  deemed  by  Southern  Democrats,  at  least,  unreasonable  folly 
in  a  negro  which  prompts  husband  and  wife  to  go  onl}'  where  they  can 
go  together;  but  he  will  find  nothing  to  cause  him  to  doubt  the  sincerity 
and  good  faith  with  which  the  negro  grapples  with  the  problem  of  his 
new  life  here.  If  he  would  learn  more  of  this  strength  of  resolution,  and 
the  patience  which  they  have  brought  to  search  for  a  home  in  a  free  land, 
let  him  inquire  concerning  the  lives  of  those  refugees  in  Kansas.  It  may 
seem  of  significance,  and  worthy  of  approving  note  to  him,  that  as  labor 
ers  they  have  been  faithful  and  industrious;  that  in  no  single  case  have 
they  come  back  asking  aid  of  the  relief  association,  nor  become  burdens 
in  any  way  upon  corporate  or  public  charities;  that  as  eiti/ens  they  are 
sober  and  law-abiding  to  such  a  degree  that  he  would  hardly  be.  able  to 
discover  a  single  case  of  crime  among  them;  and,  finally,  that  in  those 
instances  where  they  were  able  to  purchase  a  little  land  and  stock,  they 
have  made  as  good  progress  towards  the  acquirement  of  homes  and  prop 
erty,  as  have  the  average,  poor,  white,  immigrant  to  the  State.  He  wiK  first 
learn  then,  from  the  refugees  themselves,  something  of  the  desperate  na 
ture  of  the  causes  that  drove  them  from  the  South;  and  secondly,  from 
their  lives  here,  with  what  thrift,  patience  and  determination  they  have 
met  the  difficulties  which  they  have  encountered  in  their  efforts  to  gain 
a  foothold,  and  as  men  among  men  in  the  land  of  equal  rights. 

From  the  Hon.  William  Reynolds,  president  of  the  Auxiliary  Re 
lief  Association,  at  Parsons,  I  learn  that  the  negroes  who  have  come  into 
the  southern  part  of  the  State,  mostly  from  Texas,  are  all  either  settled 
on  small  tracts  of  land,  or  employed  as  laborers  at  from  $8  to  $10  per 
month,  and  are  all  doing  well.  Mr.  Reynolds'  testimony  to  this  effect  was 
positive  and  unqualified.  To  assist  these  refugees  in  Southern  Kansas,— 
over  3,000  in  all, — only  $575  has  been  expended. 

From  Judge  R.  W.  Dawson  (who  was  the  secretary  of  the  association 
under  the  old  management,  and  during  the  early  months  of  the  movement 
one  year  ago,  when  6,000  refugees  were  distributed  throughout  the  State 
and  provided  with  homes  at  a  cost  of  $5,000)  I  learned  much  of  interest 
concerning  the  welfare  and  progress  of  this  advance  guard  of  the  great 
exodus.  Judge  Dawson,  although  not  now  connected  with  the  relief  work, 
feels,  of  course,  a  great  interest  in  the  welfare  of  those  to  whose  assist 
ance  he  contributed  much,  and  loses  no  opportunity  for  observation  of 
their  condition  while  traveling  over  the  State.  He  says  he  knows  of  no 
case  where  one  has  come  back  to  the  Association  for  aid;  and  that  as  lab 
orers  and  citizens  their  conduct  has  been  such  as  to  win  the  approval  of  all 
classes.  Four  colonies  have  been  established.  State  lands  were  bought  by 


HISTOKICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  189 

the  Association,  and  given  to  the  colonies  with  the  understanding  that  to 
secure  their  title  they  must  make  the  second  and  third  payments  on  the 
land  purchased  on  the  one-third  cash  and  two-thirds  time  payment  plan. 
Two  of  the  neAvest  of  these  colonies  are  still  receiving  aid  from  the  Asso 
ciation,  but  the  others  are  self-sustaining,  and  will  be  able,  it  is  thought, 
to  make  small  purchase  payments  on  the  land  as  they  become  due. 

If  our  inquiring  statesman  is  interested  in  observing  in  what  spirit 
these  refugees  receive  the  aid  which  has  made  existence  possible  during- 
the  cold  weather  months,  he  may  be  profited  by  spending  a  few  days  about 
the  city  of  Topeka.  There  are  in  Topeka  alone  over  3,000  refugees,  and 
nearly  all  of  them  (paupers  when  they  come)  have  found  means  in  some 
way  to  make  a  living.  In  many  cases  it  is  a  precarious  subsistence  that  is 
gained,  and  in  not  a  few  case<s  among  late  arriv-a/ls  he  would  find  evidence 
or  want  and  destitution;  but  compared  with  this,  he  cannot  but  be  struck 
with  the  small  number  of  applicants  to  the  Relief  Association  for  aid. 
Only  213  rations  were  issued  outside  the  barracks  last  week  to  the  3.000 
refugees  who  came  here  only  a  few  months  since  without  money,  and  fre 
quently  without  clothing,  to  undertake  what  seemed,  under  the  circum 
stances,  the  desperate  purpose  of  making  a  living. 

The  dangers  and  difficulties  which  beset  the  refugees'  departure  from 
a  land,  where  even  the  right  to  emigrate  is  denied  him,  are  great.  He  may 
learn,  that  is,  Mr.  Voorhees,  however,  from  copies  of  letters  over  1,000  in 
the  Governor's  office,  that  Governor  St.  John  has  never,  in  reply  to  their 
appeals,  failed  to  warn  them  of  the  difficulties  that  would  beset  their  way 
here,  and  has  never  extended  them  promise  of  other  assistance  than  that 
implied  in  the  equal  rights  which  are  guaranteed  to  every  citizen  of  Kan 
sas.  Further  than  this,  however  surprising  it  may  be  to  Mr.  Voorhees' 
theory  of  the  causes  of  the  exodus,  it  is  nevertheless  a  fact  that  this  very 
Association,  which  is  charged  with  encouraging  the  exodus,  has  sent  the 
Rev.  W.  O.  Lynch,  a  colored  man,  to  the  South  to  warn  the  colored  people 
that  they  must  not  come  here  expecting  to  be  fed,  or  to  find  homes  ready, 
and  to  do  all  in  his  power  to  dissuade  them  from  coming  at  all.  Still,  they 
come,  and  why  they  come  the  country  had  determined  long  in  advance  of 
Mr.  Voorhees'  report. 

While  we  have  Mr.  Voorhees  here,  we  Would  like  to  have  him  glance  at 
a  State  document  to  be  found  upon  Governor  St.  John's  table,  which  bears 
the  great  seal  and  signature  of  Governor  O.  M.  Roberts,  of  the  State  of 
Texas.  It  is  a  requisition  by  the  Governor  of  Texas  upon  the  Governor  of 
Kansas  for  the  body  of  one  Peter  Womack,  a  colored  man,  who  was  indict 
ed  by  the  Grand  Jury  of  Grimes  county,  at  the  last  November  term,  for  the 
felony  of  fraudulently  disposing  of  ten  bushels  of  corn.  From  further  par 
ticulars  we  learn  that  this  Peter  Womack  gave  a  mortgage  early  in  the 
spring  of  1879  upon  his  crop  just  planted,  to  cover  a  debt  of  twenty  dollars 
due  the  firm  of  Wilson  &  Howell.  When  Womack  came  to  gather  his  crop, 


J90  HISTORICAL  ROM  ANTE  OF  THE  AMERICAN   NKGKO. 

he  yields  to  the  importunities  of  another  white  creditor  ten  bushels  of 
corn  to  be  applied  upon  the  debt.  About  this  time  this  Peter  Womack  be 
comes  influential  in  inducing  a  number  of  his  colored  neighbors  in  Grimes 
county  to  emigrate  to  Kansas.  Undeterred  by  threats,  and  despite  the 
bulldozing  methods  employed  to  cause  him  to  remain  a  "citizen"  of 
Texas,  Womack,  with  others,  sick  of  a  condition  of  "citizenship"  which  is 
nothing  less  than  hopeless  peonage,  leaves  stock  and  crop  behind  to  seek 
a  home  in  Kansas.  His  acts  inciting  the  movement  of  those  black  serfs 
are  not  forgotten,  however,  by  the  white  chivalry  of  Grimes  county.  The 
evidence  of  this  surrender  on  a  debt  of  ten  bushels  of  corn,  mortgaged  for 
another  debt,  is  hunted  up,  presented  to  the  Grand  Jury  of  Grimes  county, 
he  is  promptly  indicted  for  a  felony,  and  the  great  State  of  rexas  rises 
in  her  majesty  and  demands  a  surrender  of  his  body!  The  demand  is  in 
accordance  with  law,  undoubtedly — Texas  law — but  if  Texas  would  occas 
ionally  punish  one  of  the  white  murderers  who  do  not  think  it  necessary 
to  leave  her  borders,  this  pursuit  of  a  Negro-  for  selling  ten  bushels  of 
corn  from  a  mortgaged  crop  would  seem  a  more  imposing  exhibition  of 
the  power  of  the  commonwealth  to  enforce  its  laws. 

The  above  extracts  from  the  Chicago  Inter-Ocean  of  the  I5th  of 
April,  1880,  were  clearly  written  by  a  humane  and  Christian  gentleman, 
whose  sole  aim  was  to  tell  the  truth. 

Will  my  kind  reader  now  permit  me  to  sum  up,  in  a  few  sentences, 
the  results  of  this  wonderful  exodus?  The  departure  of  so  many 
thousands  of  colored  people  from  the  different  States  of  the  Sunny 
South  to  Kansas  and  many  other  Northern  States  informed  the  whole 
world  that  the  South  was  nothing  but  a  land  of  thugs  and  common 
cut-throats  and  murderers.  The  exodus  informed  the  world  that  "Se- 
cessia"  was  no  place  for  them  to  emigrate  into,  where  even  life  and 
limb  were  unsafe.  It  represented  the  Southerners  as  a  vindictive,  bar 
barous  and  most  uncivilized  people ;  as  a  people,  in  short,  who  were 
unfitted  to  carry  on  the  laws  of  their  States  in  a  civilized  nation.  It 
repelled  the  Christian  world  from  them,  instead  of  drawing  them  to 
them  in  love  and  friendship.  The  exodus,  in  short,  gave  the  South  a 
"black  eye,"  to  use  a  familiar  expression  common  among  pugilists, 
and  afforded  most  abundant  proof  that  the  war  had  been  a  just  and 
righteous  one,  as  waged  against  so  wicked  and  demoralized  a  race  of 
men — men  unfitted  for  civil  government.  Even  the  "laughable  farce'' 
of  Mr.  Voorhees'  Congressional  inquiry  into  the  causes  of  the  exodus 
informed  the  whole  world  of  the  murderous  state  of  mind  of  the  South- 


HISTOKICAL  KOMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  JSTEGKO.  191 

ern  white  people,  who  were  unable  to  contemplate  the  sight  of  a  col 
ored  man  voting  the  Republican  ticket  of  freedom  without  the  wish  of 
taking  his  life — the  life  of  his  neighbor  citizen  who  had  even  a  better 
right  to  vote  than  himself ;  for  the  colored  man  had  certainly  never 
been  a  traitor  to  his  country,  as  these  self-same  murderous^Southerners 
had  been. 

We  are  all  perfectly  well  aware  that  colored  men  could  get  on 
better  without  the  white  man,  than  the  white  man  could  without  him. 
The  climate  of  the  South,  and  especially  of  the  far  South,  is  warm,  and 
men  of  African  descent  are  naturally  better  able  to  stand  against  the 
rays  of  the  hot  sun  than  the  Caucasian  race.  It  was  for  this  express 
reason  that  the  slave  trade  and  slavery  were  so  long  carried  on  with 
such  vigor  and  persistency,  because  the  African  was  well  qualified  to 
work  among  the  cane-brakes,  the  cotton  fields  and  the  rice  swamps  of 
the  Southern  States. 

The  African  was  found  to  be  strong-bodied,  and  through  and  by 
means  of  his  diligent  labor  the  cities  and  lands  of  the  South  had  been 
built  up  and  tilled  respectively.  The  "poor  white  trash,"  as  Caucasian 
laborers  were  termed,  were  not  so  well  qualified  to  toil  under  a  semi- 
tropical  sky,  and  extract  the  wealth  from  the  soil  in  the  same  degree. 
No  part  of  the  United  States  was  so  rich  when  the  war  begun  as  these 
States.  They  had  amassed  an  immense  horde  of  silver  and  of  gold 
by  means  of  the  labors  of  the  slaves ;  although  all  that  previous  metal 
was  thrown  away  upon  cannon  and  gunpowder,  and  all  other  necessar 
ies  of  war,  and  the  cause  for  which  they  fought  was  lost  after  all.  Still, 
the  fact  remains  that  the  South  had  to  a  great  extent  been  built  up  by 
the  labor  of  the  hardy  and  diligent  African,  who  was  so  very  useful 
and  valuable  that  "Secessia"  struggled  on  for  four  long  years  to  re 
tain  the  colored  race  in  slavery,  and  even  to  make  slavery  itself  the 
chief  corner-stone  of  the  Southern  Confederacy.  But  crime  could  not 
be  allowed  to  go  unpunished,  and  the  oppressed  African  was  entitled 
to  his  liberty  and  his  rights. 

With  the  tramp,  tramp,  tramp  of  so  many  refugees  from  the 
Southern  States  upon  their  pilgrim  way  to  Kansas  and  other  North 
ern  States,  the  leading  white  men  of  the  country  that  they  left  behind 
at  last  began  to  open  their  eyes  to  the  mischief  which  they  and  their 
minions  had  already  done,  and  they  saw  that  they  had  lost  the  confi- 


192  HISTOKICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

dence  of  the  colored  race.  As  from  forty  to  sixty  thousand  men, 
women  and  children  had  gone  to  Kansas  alo<ne,  and  immense  numbers 
had  emigrated  to  other  Northern  States,  both  far  and  near,  the  leading 
men  in  the  deserted  sections  now  began  to  wonder  to  what  extent  this 
thing  would *grow.  They  saw  that  if  things  went  on  at  this  rate  the 
Southern  States  would  become  depopulated,  or  at  least  as  destitute  of 
inhabitants  as  they  were  upon  the  landing  of  Columbus.  Something 
must  be  done  to  stop  at  once  this  great  rush  of  wronged  and  oppressed 
men  for  other  States,  where  they  could  live  in  safety  and  freedom ;  and 
not  only  must  the  shot-gun  policy  of  the  Southerners  be  brought  to 
an  end,  but  that  system  of  cheating  and  robbery,  also,  whereby  white 
men  had  beat  the  colored  ones  out  of  their  full  share  of  the  crops,  on 
the  plantations,  and  defrauded  them  in  every  way  under  the  so-called 
"Credit  System."  It  was  most  unmanly,  cowardly,  and  even  shameful 
to  the  last  degree,  for  wise  and  intelligent  white  men  to  thus  rob  and 
plunder  the  oppressed  and  uneducated  African.  Such  a  devilish  policy 
was  simply  adding  insult  to  injury.  Never  was  a  more  savage  thing 
done  through  the  wickedness  of  the  human  race  since  the  creation.  It 
now  became  the  policy  of  all  thinking  ex-rebels  to  put  on  their  think 
ing  caps,  and  study  a  better  system  than  such  sheer  dishonesty. 

The  leading  white  men  of  the  South,  therefore,  now  went  to  work 
to  reverse  the  system  that  had  driven  so  many  of  the  colored  people 
out  of  the  land,  and  to  do  every  possible  thing  to  regain  their  confi 
dence,  because  there  was  no  one  who  could  fill  the  empty  places,  and 
do  the  needful  work. 

And  not  only  was  it  now  necessary  to  gain  the  confidence  of  'the 
colored  man,  but  even  to  regain  the  confidence  of  white  men  who  had 
any  intention  of  going  South  and  settling  down  in  that  part  of  the 
country.  There  were  many  men  of  capital,  besides  thousands  of  ac 
complished  artisans,  who  could  both  enrich  themselves  and  the  South 
ern  States  by  going  and  settling  down  there,  but  who  were  now  justly 
alarmed,  when  they  saw  whole  hosts  of  orderly  and  industrious  people 
of  color  moving  away  from  these  self-same  States  on  account  of  rob 
bers  and  murders  by  the  very  same  men  among  whom  they  had  been 
planning  to  go  and  settle  down,  to  labor  and  toil,  and  there  to  end 
their  days.  It  was  perfectly  clear  to  the  most  obtuse  Southern  mind 
that  no  Northern  man  would  ever  go  South  and  invest  his  capital  where 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  193 

those  who  ran  his  mills  and  cultivated  his  plantations  were  liable  to 
be  brought  down  by  the  shot-gun  of  the  old  soldiers  of  Lee  and  Jack 
son,  because  they  voted  the  Republican  ticket — if  they  even  dared  to 
go  to  the  polls  at  all  on  election  day !  This  was  as  bad,  or  worse,  than 
despotic  Russia  or  Turkey ;  and  therefore  Southern  men  wisely  decid 
ed  to  reverse  the  policy  they  had  adopted  towards  the  colored  popula 
tion,  for  they  now  saw  that  if  they  did  not  do  so,  no  capitalists  or  ar 
tisans  would  ever  come  South,  but  remain  at  home  or  go  elsewhere. 

On  the  other  hand  the  exodus  was  a  benefit  to  the  colored  race  fr 
at  least,  to  a  portion  of  them.  Those  who  emigrated  from  the  South 
ern  States  found  an  abundant  entrance,  and  a  warm  welcome  to  the 
fertile  lands  of  Kansas  and  other  Northern  cities  and  Western  States,, 
where  there  was  plenty  of  land  calling  for  nothing  so  much  as  culti 
vation,  and  where  the  oppressed  pilgrims  and  refugees  built  up  for 
themselves  comfortable  homes,  and  they  and  their  children  are  there 
to  this  day.  In  Kansas  and  the  other  States  whither  they  emigrated, 
the  spirit  of  freedom  and  justice  prevailed,  and  every  man  could  abide 
under  his  own  vine  and  fig  tree  without  having  any  midnight  thugs 
about  to  make  him  afraid.  And  those  who  remained  behind  were  also 
benefited  by  the  exodus,  because  there  was  now  more  room  for  those 
who  were  left  there ;  and  inasmuch  as  the  white  leaders  of  the  South 
had  decided  upon  possessing  a  wiser  and  more  Christian  policy,  the 
prospect  of  good  treatment  in  every  rspect  was  far  brighter  than  ever  j 
they  need  not  emigrate  to  the  North  and  West,  as  their  brethren  had 
done,  but  could  remain  at  home  in  safety. 

Thus,  my  dear  reader,  I  have  related  to  you  the  story  of  the  ex 
odus  of  our  people  to  Kansas  and  other  States,  as  it  passed  before  our 
eyes  about  the  years  1879  and  1880,  as  I  very  well  remember.  It  was 
a  wonderful  object  lesson  set  before  the  whole  nation,  and  an  out 
growth  of  slavery,  and  the  war,  and  the  violent  passions  of  the  van 
quished.  But  good  has  come  out  of  evil.  The  poor,  oppressed  pilgrim 
refugees  were  not  forsaken  in  the  days  of  their  distress,  for  they  were 
tenderly  cared  for  by  the  most  loving  of  mankind,  and  underneath 
them  were  the  everlasting  arms  of  the  merciful  God. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

My  Daughters'  Weddings — Departure  for  England  for  the  Honey 
moon — The  Voyage— Letter  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Carroll — The  City 
of  Liverpool — England,  Wales,  Scotland,  Ireland — Return  Home 
to  America — Benefits  of  Travel. 

This  chapter  will  introduce  the  kind  reader  to  my  life  and  times 
in  the  eventful  year  1876 — eventful  in  the  history  of  my  own  family, 
because  my  two  dear  daughters  had  now  almost  reached  their  twenti 
eth  year,  were,  therefore,  come  to  the  age  when  the  fair  sex  turn  their 
hearts  to  the  thoughts  of  love,  courtship  and  marriage ;  and,  in  short, 
my  dear-  children  were  engaged  to  be  married  in  the  month 
of  May,  in  the  spring  of  the  year  1876.  The  bridegrooms  were  both 
Christian,  industrious  and  highly-respectable  young  men,  and  such  as 
we  knew  would  promote  the  happiness  of  the  two  dear  girls  as  well  as 
their  own.  All  four  candidates  for  matrimony  were  well  matched  in 
every  way,  having  been  brought  up  in  schools  and  colleges  where  the 
most  select  members  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  trace  themselves  have  received 
their  polish.  Indeed,  freedom  and  all  the  advantages  that  flow  from 
a  brilliant  education,  have  polished  our  young  men  and  maidens,  until 
now  they  are  as  smooth  as  a  mirror,  and  you  can  see  your  face  in  that 
mirror  as  well  as  the  best  looking-glass !  Thus  these  young  people 
had  been  trained  and  polished  till  training1  and  polishing  could  not  be 
carried  much  further;  because  they  had  had  all  the  advantages  that 
money  and  talent  could  give ;  they  shone  in  the  best  society,  and  no 
company  of  refined  young  Christian  people  was  considered  perfect 
unless  they  were  invited,  enhancing  the  happiness  of  all  by  their  pres 
ence.  But  the  best  thing  of  all  was  the  pure,  unadulterated  Christianity 
that  grew  and  flourished  like  the  green  bay-tree  in  every  heart.  My 
own  dear  husband  and  I  were  most  profoundly  thankful  to  see  our 
dear  children  so  well  inclined  by  grace  and  training  to  every  good 
thought  and  deed ;  and  no  less  so  to  see,  in  their  prospective  husbands 
men  who  could  encourage  such  dispositions  instead  of  being  obstacles 
in  their  way,  like  so  many  others. 


HISTORIC  A  I.   ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  195 

The  main  points  being-  secured,  we  gave  our  willing  consent  to  the 
marriage  and  il  was  thought  best  to  have  them  both  together.  Accord 
ingly  the  double  wedding  came  oft"  the  first  Wednesday  night  of 
the  merry  month  of  May,  and  the  A.  M.  E.  Church  on  Vine  street 
was  packed  to  its  utmost  capacity.  All  the  particulars  of  dress,  bon 
nets,  bouquets,  etc.,  with  all  the  latest  improvements  down  to  the 
eventful  year,  1876,  were  duly  noted  by  the  reporter  who  was  present, 
and  who  wrote  a  flourishing  account  of  the  weddings,  which  came  out 
in  the  paper  next  morning.  After  the  ceremony  at  the  church  was 
over,  we  all  adjourned  to  our  own  house,  where  a  reception  was  held 
and  continued  until  a  late  hour.  As  my  two  dear  girls  (as  I  always  call 
them)  stood  before  the  altar,  I  could  not  but  reflect  what  their  fate 
might  have  been  had  it  not  been  for  the  Providence  of  God,  and  for 
the  fact  that  their  parents  managed  to  get  away  from  slavery,  and  gave 
them  a  good  Christian  education  in  a  free  State  of  the  North.  Verily, 
the  present  generation  of  colored  men  and  maidens  have  something  to 
be  thankful  for  to  that  good  Lord  who  sent  the  war,  destroyed  slavery, 
and  opened  the  doors  for  them  to  enter  in,  and  enjoy  all  the  privileges 
that  the  white  race  possesses. 

It  is  quite  unnecessary  for  me  to  say  that  marriage  is  one  of  the 
greatest  events  in  human  life,  and  that  their  marriage  gave  each  one  of 
these  four  young  people  the  most  abundant  joy.  To  still  further  en 
hance  the  happiness  of  the  young  people  it  was  decided  that  they  should 
spend  their  honeymoon  upon  the  ocean,  and  in  the  British  Isles,  where 
some  of  our  ancestors  had  come  from  ;  and  my  husband  and  myself  de 
cided  to  go  with  them  for  company,  and  have  a  good  time  generally. 
So  all  preparations  were  made  for  our  departure  to  pay  this  delightful 
visit  toi  John  Bull  and  his  Island,  which  made  all  feel  as  gay  as  birds. 

Thursday  morning  came  on  apace — the  day  after  their  marriage — 
and  we  were  all  in  a  great  bustle  and  high  excitement  over  our  depart 
ure  for  Old  England,  as  it  is  called.  Our  trunks  were  packed,  and  all 
things  made  ready  for  the  journey  and  voyage  before  us.  We  under 
stood  that  dear  mother  and  her  devoted  husband,  Mr.  Sutherland, 
were  not  going  with  us ;  at  least  they  had  said  nothing  about  doing  so 
to  the  rest  of  us — I  dare  say  they  intended  to  take  us  by  surprise.  And 
it  was  a  surprise,  indeed !  Because  when  we  were  almost  ready  to 
walk  down  the  street  to  the  railway  station,  who  came  in  smiling  all 


196  HISTOK1CAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

over,  but  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sutherland !  We  were  so  much  surprised  that 
we  all  set  up  a  loud  shout  of  joy ;  and  the  more  especially  as  they 
seemed  to  enjoy  the  fun  as  much  as  any  of  us.  It  was  a  lively  time 
that  followed  the  next  ten  minutes,  and  we  held  quite  a  jubilee  on  the 
subject.  The  minister  of  the  church  and  his  good  lady  had  come  up 
to  see  us  off,  and  a  few  other  friends  of  the  "inner  circle"  of  our  ac 
quaintances  ;  and  all  things  being  now  ready,  we  walked  down  the 
street  to  the  railway  station,  where  we  found  all  bustle  and  confusion. 
But  at  last  we  secured  our  tickets,  took  a  tender  leave  of  our  dear 
friends  on  the  platform,  and  having  taken  our  seats  we  steamed  away 
for  New  York,  where  we  were  to  take  the  boat  for  Liverpool,  Eng 
land.  We  shed  no  tears  on  this  occasion,  because  we  all  had  to  come 
back  again  in  a  few  months.  There  was  nothing  but  delightful  nov 
elty  and  unexpected  joy  before  us,  and  therefore  there  was  nothing 
for  any  of  us  to  cry  about  upon  the  present  occasion. 

The  following  letter  which  I  wrote  after  bur  landing  at  Liverpool 
will  explain  itself  to  the  reader : 

LIVERPOOL,  ENG.,  May,  1876. 
Rev.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carroll, 

My  Dear  Friends: — I  am  quite  delighted  to  inform  you  that  we  have 
crossed  the  broad  Atlantic  in  perfect  safety,  and  yesterday  we  landed  at 
the  great  seaport  of  Liverpool,  where  nothing  seems  to  be  talked  about 
but  shipping  and  ships.  We  are  all  in  splendid  health  and  gay  spirits,  and 
it  is  quite  a  pleasing  change  for  us  to  be  in  a  land  where  color  is  unknown. 
We  all  send  our  best  love  to  you  both,  to  all  your  family,  and  to  our  dear 
church  on  Vine  street,  where  we  hope  to  find  ourselves  again  in  a  few 
months,  among  the  dear  brothers  and  sisters  there. 

We  had  quite  a  pleasant  journey  on  the  train  all  the  way  to  New  York, 
where  we  arrived  on  scheduled  time,  and  found  our  way  to  the  private 
hotel,  where  all  things  were  in  readiness  for  our  reception.  We  spent  a  por 
tion  of  two  days  in  walking  about,  and  enjoying  the  sights  of  the  city,  but 
the  time  rapidly  rolled  around  for  our  embarkation,  and  we  went  on  board 
the  "Sarmatian,"  which  is  truly  a  splendid  liner — indeed,  one  of  the  finest 
boats  on  the  North  Atlantic.  The  Sarmatian  is  a  British  vessel,  and  strange 
as  it  may  appear  so  soon,  the  feeling  was  so  sweet  and  home-like  upon  this 
foreign  ship  that  I  could  not  but  notice  it.  Officers  and  sailors  who  have 
been  reared  in  a  land  where  prejudice  is  unknown,  are  in  no  way  interested 
about  such  paltry  things  as  the  color  of  the  skin.  Seated  upon  this  noble 
British  ship,  I  felt  even  now  as  if  I  were  already  in  England! 

Indeed,  we  would  all  have  quite  forgotten  that  there  was  any  such 


FRED'K    DOUGtASS, 


198  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

have  a  first-class  time  upon  the  rolling  deep  in  the  merry  month  of  M;i\ 
Life  on  the  ocean  wave  has  really  ten  times  more  charms  than  I  am  able 
to  define.    You  must  come  to  sea  yourself  to  experience  it,  for  it  is  indeed 
far  too  much  for  my  pen. 

The  sea!  the  sea!  The  broad,  blue  sea!  What  a  glorious  thing  it  is 
to  look  away  as  far  as  ever  the  eye  can  reach,  and  behold  nothing  but  the 
big,  blue  waves  of  the  North  Atlantic  heaving  up  and  down,  while  our  bold 
and  plucky  steamboat  rushes  fearlessly  over  those  watery  hills,  and  the 
bright  and  beautiful  sun  pours  his  warm  rays  down  upon  the  rolling  deep. 
and  a  fascinating  and  bewitching  feeling  floods  upon  your  own  heart,  and 
there  begets  a  feeling  of  enthusiasm  that  no  language  can  describe! 

The  porpoise  is  a  lively  fish,  often  seen  from  the  deck  of  an  Atlantic 
steamboat,  and  we  saw  plenty  of  them  rushing  through  the  waves  like 
winged  lightning.  It  was  indeed  a  fine  sight;  but  the  best  companions  \\>- 
had  all  the  way  to  the  British  Isles  were  the  bold,  brave  sea-gulls,  that 
left  the  coast  of  America  with  us,  and  came  all  the  way  to  Liverpool.  The 
sea-gull  acts  more  like  a  human  being  than  anything  else  to  which  I  can 
describe  him;  cavorting  about  all  over  the  main,  and  then  coming  down 
almost  to  the  deck  itself,  to  let  you  know  that  he  is  there,  and  trying  to 
make  you  feel  at  home  on  the  ocean. 

There  seemed  to  be  no  end  of  sweet,  peaceful  enjoyment;  the  weather 
continued  so  fine  all  the  way  across  the  sea,  our  health  was  so  good,  and  we 
had  such  pleasant  companions  on  all  sides  around,  and  nothing  happened  to 
the  ship  to  mar  the  general  joy.  It  was,  indeed,  a  downright  holiday,  most 
thoroughly  enjoyed  by  us  all. 

The  Sabbath-day  came  around,  and  there  were  two  church  services  in 
the  Grand  Saloon.  We  all  went  both  times,  which  proved,  as  I  thought  at 
the  time,  the  greatest  treat  in  our  whole  life.  The  singing,  the  prayers, 
the  isermons,  and  everything  else  combined  to  form  a  novelty  that  I  am 
again  quite  at  a  loss  to  explain. 

And  j*et  there  were  many  on  board  who  never  went  to  a  church  ser 
vice  at  sea,  although  it  was  the  very  joy  of  our  lives,  and  a  treat  that  turn 
ed  our  gallant  ship  into  a  floating  heaven  on  the  deep.  It  is  just  the  same 
on  shore.  There  are  people  who  live  next  door  to  the  church  who  never 
enter  its  portals  once  in  their  lives. 

We  spent  a  good  deal  of  time  watching  for  vessels  on  the  ocean,  and 
saw  plenty  of  them.  We  passed  quite  close  to  several,  and  spoke  to  a  few. 
Some  of  them  came  so  near  that  we  saw  everything  on  deck,  and  that  was 
something  when  far  from  home. 

What  a  glorious  sight  it  \vas  to  behold  the  red,  red  sun  rising  out  of 
the  waves  in  the  East  every  morning,  like  a  great,  big,  round,  red  cheese, 
and  again  to  watch  him  at  night  going  down  in  all  his  glory  in  the  West, 
like  a  red  and  fiery  wheel,  flooding  all  the  main  with  the  splendor  of  his 
glory,  as  he  sank  down  into  his  water  bed!  We  used  to  stand  on  the  open 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  199 

i 
deck,  and  watch  the  "glorious  god  of  day"  sink,  sink,  sinking,  till  at  last 

he  quite  disappeared  from  view.  Then  the  fair-faced  silver  moon,  fair  Luna, 
Queen  of  Night,  arose  in  the  East,  and  flooded  all  the  ocean  with  her  silver 
shining  that  was  laid  so  entrancingly  upon  the  rolling  waves,  whilst  the 
thousand  stars  came  out  in  ones,  and  twos,  and  hundreds,  and  bestudded 
all  the  skies.  Thus  again  we  would  gather  out  upon  the  deck  at  night,  and 
watch  the  starry  heavens,  and  the  moon,  and  listen  to  the  wild  waves  of  the 
North  Atlantic  rolling  away,  far  and  near;  and  when  night  came  on,  we 
found  ourselves  pretty  well  worn  out  after  another  long  and  busy  day.  But 
we  slept  well,  as  indeed  we  well  might,  for  the  good  Lord  and  the  sailors 
were  ever  taking  good  care  of  us  all  and  the  brave  Sarmatian  was  battling 
her  rapid  way  cross  the  North  Atlantic. 

As  I  used  to  stand  and  muse  upon  the  deck,  it  often  occurred  to  my 
mind  how  all  the  ancestors  of  the  colored  race  in  America  had  been  borne 
over  the  waves  of  the  self -same  North  Atlantic  over  which  we  were  now 
sailing,  though  farther  to  tne  South.  Over  these  waves,  also,  the  great 
Fred.  Douglass  had  passed  several  times  on  his  journeys  to  and  from  the 
British  Isles;  for  he  is  one  of  the  great  pillars  of  history,  and  has  filled  the 
whole  world  with  his  fame.  His  renown  is  bright  all  over  the  earth! 

Thus  time  passed  on,  day  and  night,  and  we  all  enjoyed  ourselves  to 
the  top  of  our  bent;  at  the  grand  piano  in  the  saloon,  watching  the  play 
of  the  wild  waves  of  the  rolling  deep,  etc.,  etc.  The  excitement  in  every 
bosom  began  to  rise  as  we  drew  ruear  to  the  land,  and  when  the  old  head 
of  Kinsale  rose  from  the  main  in  the  southwest  of  Ireland,  there  was  truly 
a  most  tremendous  flurry  in  every  heart.  And  as  the  Samartian  passed 
rapidly  along,  one  lofty,  frowning  headland  after  another  rose  from  the 
waves,  reminding  one  of  grand  lofty  church  steeples  placed  at  intervals 
here  and  there;  then  the  bold,  precipitous  coasts  ran  far  away  back  into 
some  estuary  or  frith,  at  tiie  head  of  which  a  river  came  pouring  down 
from  the  interior  of  the  land.  A  heavy  summer  shower  of  rain  came  up  all 
of  a  sudden,  after  which  the  sun  burst  out  with  indescribable  splendor, 
and  a  mighty  rainbow  stood  over  the  entire  convex  of  heaven,  with  its 
great  feet  like  elephant's  legs,  deep  down  in  the  ocean.  Our  American  sea 
gulls  came  bravely  on,  and  in  Irish  waters  were  met  by  Irish  sea-gulls,  and 
countless  wild  sea-mews. 

The  excitement  that  began  when  we  passed  the  Old  Head  at  Kensale  did 
not  subside.  It  went  on,  grew  and  increased  hour  after  hour,  as  we  called 
at  Queenstown,  and  then  moved  on  to  Liverpool.  Nothing  was  now  thought 
of  nor  talked  about  but  John  Bull  and  his  Island — Brittania,  the  Pride  of 
the  Ocean,  the  home  of  the  brave  and  the  free!  We  noticed  that  we  were 
no  longer  upon  the  big,  blue  waves  of  ohe  North  Atlantic,  but  ploughing" 
our  rapid  way  across  the  shallower  green  seas  of  the  British  Isles — quite 
a  pleasant  change  in  its  way,  after  so  much  blue,  because  nature's  green 
is  a  beautiful  color. 


200  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

It  was  time  for  us  to  go  to  bed,  as  we  approached  St.  George's  Chan 
nel,  that  divides  Ireland  from  Wales;  but  we  were  all  up  and  fresh,  and 
bright  as  button's  in  the  morning,  when  Holyhead,  the  Isle  of  Anglesea,  and 
the  bold  mountains  of  North  Wales  arose  almost  perpendicular  out  of  the 
Irish  Sea,  and  dipped  their  feet,  deep,  deep  into  the  waves. 

The  excitement  on  board  now  among  us  all  was  simply  dreadful!  We 
were  so  near  home,  and  yet  not  quite  there!  Hundreds  of  ships  in  all 
directions  were  moving  about  over  all  the  sea;  and  no  wonder,  because  we 
Avere  close  to  the  doors  of  one  of  the  most  famous  queen  seaports  that 
this  world  has  ever  seen.  At  last  we  came  up  in  front  of  the  City  of 
Liverpool,  and  having  a  tremendous  traffic  in  full  view,  and  here  we  had 
to  lie  till  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  when  the  tide  would  be  full,  and  we 
could  cross  the  bar  of  the  Mersey.  We  crossed  the  bar  in  due  time,  and  got 
into  that  famous  river,  came  up  to  the  Great  Landing  Stage  where  we  land 
ed  in  great  excitement,  for  here  at  last  was  John  Bull  and  his  Island! 

Having  landed  and  passed  the  custom-house  officers,  we  procured  cabs 
and  drove  to  our  appointed  quarters  in  the  city,  where  we  received  a  most 
hearty  welcome  upon  our  arrival,  and  were  ushered  into  our  rooms,  and 
we  never  felt  more  thoroughly  at  home  in  our  lives.  The  good  people 
seemed  determined  to  make  us  feel  all  right,  and  to  make  a  good  impression 
on  the  Americans.  The  English  tea  time,  5  P.  M.,  drew  nigh,  and  we  had 
toast  and  tea,  with  jams,  etc.,  in  the  regular  English  fashion.  It  was  de 
lightful  to  have  all  things  so  nice  in  a  foreign  way.  The  fire  was  also  de 
lightful  in  the  open  grate,  and  that  also  looked  most  cheerful.  Pictures 
of  Queen  Victoria  and  the  royal  family  hung  from  the  walls,  and  battle 
scenes  by  land  and  sea,  and  landscape  pictures  powerfully  reminded  us  that 
we  were  now  under  the  British  flag,  and  in  another  part  of  the  world. 

After  tea,  we  walked  out  to  view  the  city,  the  river,  the  mighty  traffic 
of  this  modern  Tyre,  and  10,000  seamen  talking  far  more  languages  than  we 
knew  anj'thing  about.  Thus  several  days  and  nights  passed  away,  and  we 
found  the  people  one  of  the  most  delightful  in  the  world — frank,  free,  open- 
hearted  and  generous  and  hospitable  to  a  fault.  I  am  told  that  there  is 
not  a  heartier  people  on  the  face  of  the  earth  than  the  half  million  inhabi 
tants  of  Liverpool,  and  so  far  as  my  experience  goes  that  is  quite  true. 
We  accepted  several  invitations,  and  had  glorious  times  among  these 
people;  we  ran  the  whole  town  and  saw  many  places  of  great  interest  and 
beauty.  But  from  fifteen  to  twenty  miles  of  dock,  the  busy  river  and  the 
Great  Landing  Stage  almost  took  our  breath  away.  It  is  worth  crossing 
the  Atlantic  to  see  the  far-famed  city  of  Liverpool! 

Everybody  saw  and  knew  that  we  had  a  wedding  party  along  with  us. 
and,  indeed,  my  two  daughters  and  their  husbands  were  just  like  so  many 
birds  set  free,  when  once  they  got  ashore.  Like  the  spirited  singing  birds 
of  the  British  Isles,  there  was  no  end  to  their  hilarity;  and  it  was  delight 
ful  to  see  them.  Our  entire  party  were  very  favorably  impressed  with  all 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  201 

that  we  both  heard  and  saw,  and  everybody  was  so  very  polite  to  us,  and 
agreeable  in  all  their  ways.  We  now  began  to  make  excursions  to  see 
some  of  the  fine  sights  of  "Old  England,"  and  some  of  the  grand  castles  and 
palaces  of  fame  and  renown.  What  seemed  to  impress  us  all  most  was 
the  smooth,  lawn-like  appearance  of  the  whole  fair-faced  country,  which 
is  the  most  polished  upon  the  face  of  the  earth.  Beautiful  England,  in 
deed,  reminds  me  of  a  well-cultivated  garden,  and  it  looks  like  a  great  gar 
den,  and  nothing  else.  The  houses  and  grounds  of  some  of  the  nobility  are 
flung  open  for  the  inspection  of  foreign  visitors,  and  truly  they  are  a 
delight  to  behold,  with  all  their  flower  gardens,  conservatories  of  plants, 
playing  fountains,  and  other  attractions  too  numerous  to  mention.  Go 
where  we  might,  nothing  seemed  more  gratifying  to  our  feelings  than  the 
polite  attention  and  fine  manners  of  all  those  with  whom  we  came  in  con 
tact.  The  sights  and  scenes  round  about  us,  and  so  much  to  charm  the 
senses  in  a  foreign  land,  in  the  delightful  month  of  May,  delighted  us  to 
the  core,  and  made  us  think  of  the  Garden  of  Eden,  and  the  fabled,  golden 
regions  of  the  blessed.  The  stately  homes  of  England — how  beautiful  they 
stand! — amidst  the  tall,  ancestral  trees,  o'er  all  the  pleasant  landl  Such 
is  England,  that  has  been  polished  for  1,000  years,  till  polishing  can  do  no 
more! 

All  the  world  has  heard  of  "Beautiful  Wales,"  and  we  determined  to 
pass  a  few  weeks  among  her  enchanting  scenery.  We  visited  the  Vale  of 
Llangollen,  the  Vale  of  Clwyd,  the  Vale  of  Conway,  saw  Bettws-y-Coed,  the 
Pass  of  Llanberis,  and,  indeed,  the  best  things  in  all  North  Wales,  including 
lakes,  rivers,  waterfalls,  and  glorious  romance  without  end.  The  warm 
hearted,  impulsive  Welsh  people  almost  carried  us  all  off  our  feet  with 
their  unbounded  enthusiasm,  and  the  tremendous  warmth  of  their  welcome. 
They  are  the  greatest  singers  in  the  world.  .Indeed,  all  Wales  is  one  sea  of 
song,  and  they  sing  well,  and  they  even  dearly  love  to  sing.  They  are  a 
God-fearing  race,  and  we  never  heard  a  Welshman  swear — no,  not  even 
oi.ce.  Here  was  something  for  our  young  people  to  learn,  for  it  was  so 
sweet  to  hear  the  name  of  the  Lord  mentioned  only  in  terms  of  praise. 
Wales  always  reminded  our  entire  party  of  the  "Delectable  Mountains"  of 
the  Pilgrim's  Progress,  for  the  Welsh  mountains  were  delightful  to  us. 

After  we  got  through  with  -all  we  cared  about  seeing  in  "Beautiful 
Wales,"  and  among  its  warm-hearted  people,  we  next  moved  away  to  the 
North  to  become  somewhat  acquainted  with  what  is  truly  called  "Bonnie 
Scotland."  We  passed  around  the  highlands  and  the  islands  o;f  that  roman 
tic  country,  and  beheld  the  famous  lakes  and  the  lofty  mountains,  her  deep 
waterfalls  and  historic  straits  and  glens.  We  visited  the  land  of  Burns, 
in  the  South,  or  Lowlands,  saw  Edinburg  and  Glasgow,  and  the  home  of 
Sir  Walter  Scott,  on  the  Lower  Tweed.  Of  a  truth,  Scotland  is  a  beautiful, 
enchanting  and  enchanted  land,  and  her  warm-hearted,  enthusiastic  people 


202  HISTOKICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

stamp  their  impress  on  the  hearts  of  all  those  who  visit  them,  for  all  com 
ing  time. 

We  found  the  whole  of  the  British  Isles  overrun  with  tourists  in  the 
summer  time;  but  few  failed  to  see  Scotland,  which  has  filled  the  whole 
world  with  its  fame.  There  is  something  so  peculiarly  romantic  about  the 
"Scotch  Borders,"  that  our  heads  were  almost  turned,  and  where  all  the 
land  seemed  to  be  enchanted  ground.  Sweet  Moffat  and  its  grand  sur 
roundings  can  never  be  forgotten,  nor  the  impression  that  they  made  on 
all  our  hearts.  We  also  descended  the  beautiful  Esk  river,  from  Langholm, 
till  we  came  to  headwaters  upon  Eskdalemoor,  where  the  intelligent  and 
hospitable  people  are  mostly  shepherds,  and,  like  all  the  rest  of  the  Scotch, 
most  exemplary  in  their  attendance  at  church.  The  parish  minister  is  the 
Rev.  John  C.  Dick,  and  we  were  royally  entertained  by  him  to  tea  at  the 
manse,  a'nd  we  had  a  good  time  generally. 

After  leaving  Scotland,  we  made  our  wa3r  over  to  Ireland,  saw  Belfast, 
Dublin,  Cork,  the  Lakes  of  Killarney,  and,  indeed,  the  best  of  all  that  was 
to  be  seen  in  the  Emerald  Isle.  I  don't  know  whether  a  people  can  be  too 
enthusiastic  and  warm-hearted,  but  if  they  can,  these  are  the  Irish  at 
home. 

My  good  friend  and  brother,  I  began  this  long  letter  upon  landing  at 
Liverpool,  in  May.  It  is  now  September,  1876.  We  have  all  come  back  to1 
Liverpool — to  our  first  quarters  here.  We  have  had  a  glorious  time  roving 
over  the  British  Isles  these  four  eventful  months.  We  intend  to  embark 
tomorrow  on  the  "Scotia"  for  New  York.  I  intend  to  keep  a  journal  on 
our  voyage,  and  yourself  and  lady  shall  have  a  reading  of  it  at  once.  We 
are  all  quite  well,  and,  indeed,  the  trans-Atlantic  trip  has  had  the  most 
salutary  influence  upon  the  health  of  our  entire  party.  My  next  greatest 
desire  is  to  return  home  .to  Buffalo,  and  we  all  hope  to  visit  the  British 
Isles  at  some  future  day,  if  God  our  lives  shall  spare.  With  our  united 
love  to  yourself,  lady  and  all  other  friends,  I  am  yours  in  all  Christian 
aft'ection. 

BEULAH  LINCOLN. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

Eminent  Colored  Men  and  Women — Bishop  Daniel  E.  Payne — Fred 
erick  Douglass — His  Life  and  Times — Mrs.  Frances  Ellen  Harp 
er — Miss  Louise  de  Mortie. 

One  of  the  hardest  things  in  the  world  is  to  keep  down  a  man 
who  is  determined  to  rise.  He  comes  up  like  a  plant  of  spontaneous 
growth,  and  the  more  we  try  to  keep  him  down,  the  more  he  will  per 
severe  in  his  determination  to  stand  upon  his  own  feet  like  other  men. 
This  was  often  shown  in  the  days  before  the  war,  when  'the  bold,  in 
trepid  slave,  who  clearly  saw  that  the  whole  system  was  wrong,  made 
up  his  mind  at  least  to  be  free,  and  the  next  thing  we  hear  of  him  is  a 
daring  and  successful  attempt  to  shake  o-ff  the  chains  of  slavery, 
through  his  successful  escape  to  the  fre'e  States  of  the  North,  or  to 
Canada,  or  even  to  Europe. 

But  this  determined  spirit  to  at  least  be  free,  did  not  confine  itself 
merely  to  such  adventurous  and  successful  escapes,  but  assumed  the 
form  of  acquiring  an  education  also ;  and  no  better  illustration  of  this 
can  be  given  than  that  of  the  late  Bishop  Daniel  E.  Payne,  of  the  A . 
M.  E.  Church,  who  was  born  in  South  Carolina,  in  the  year  1811.  The 
heinous  system  of  slavery  in  that  rebellious  State -treated  as  a  crime 
the  teaching  of  any  slave  or  free  colored  person  whatsoever.  But  Dan 
iel  E.  Payne  had  an  unquenchable  thirst  for  knowledge,  and  in  order 
to  flank  the  evil  system  that  then  prevailed,  and  to  gain  that  knowledge 
to  which  he  was  as  much  entitled  as  the  President  of  the  United 
States  himself,  he  procured  the  assistance  of  a  friendly  white  man,  who 
taught  him  in  a  cellar,  where  neither  friend  nor  foe  could  see  what 
they  were  doing.  Daniel  was  an  apt  and  clever  student,  and  above  all 
things,  as  the  Bible  says,  "He  had  a  mind  to  work,"  and  an  enthusiastic 
mind  at  that.  It  did  not  take  this  young  hero  long  to  take  in  the  en 
tire  situation  regarding  slave  lands  and  slavery  when  once  his  mind 
had  begun  to  expand.  Like  Moses  and  many  other  famous  leaders, 
the  Lord  had  work  for  him  to  do,  and  he  was  preparing  him  for  it  at 
this  time. 


204  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

Young  Payne  saw  that  South  Carolina  was  no  place  for  him,  and 
that  the  first  duty  he  owed  to  himself  was  to  get  away  as  best  he 
could,  to  the  Northern  States,  where  he  could  enjoy  his  own  manly 
and  manful  rights.  As  fortune  favors  the  brave,  he  succeeded  in  mak 
ing  his  escape,  and  his  freedom  being  now  secure,  he  made  all  due 
haste  to  become  that  eminent  scholar,  who  was  destined  by  the  will 
of  God,  to  become  a  leader  and  an  instructor  of  his  people.  He  con 
nected  himself  with  the  A.  M.  E.  Church,  and  through  and  by  means 
of  that  powerful  body  he  did  mighty  things  for  the  education  of  his 
own  people,  both  before  the  war  and  after  it.  He  has  justly  been 
called  "The  Apostle  of  Education,"  and  what  the  great  Fred.  Douglass 
was  in  the  political  world,  Daniel  E.  Payne  was  in  the  educational  and 
intellectual  world.  Such  a  man  as  Bishop  Payne  should  be  revered 
as  a  philanthropist  for  all  coming  time.  The  colored  race  will  never 
be  able  to  say  that  they  are  out  of  his  debt.  At  last  he  was  made  a 
bishop  of  his  own  church,  and  became  the  head  of  Wilberforce  Univer 
sity,  in  Ohio — a  glorious  institution  that  had  made  itself  felt  by  its  in 
fluence  over  all  this  nation.  Bishop  Payne  was  sent  to  Europe  for  a 
time  in  the  interest  of  his  church,  and  his  high  qualities  were  every 
where  honored  by  the  Christian  and  scholars  across  the  Atlantic. 

Thus  we  see  in  Daniel  Payne  a  diamond  in  the  rough,  in  the  slave 
State  of  South  Carolina,  but  by  the  predetermined  will  of  God,  brought 
to  the  free  North  and  polished,  as  it  were,  by  the  hand  of  the  jeweler. 
We  see  all  the  work  that  the  great  Creator  had  given  him  to  do,  and 
how  well  he  did  it,  too.  And  what  we  have  said  of  Payne  could  as  well 
be  said  of  thousands  of  others — men  in  whom  the  spirit  of  right  and 
ambition  dwells ;  men  who'  ever  forge  to  the  front :  men  whom  God 
helps,  because  He  sees  that  thev  are  also  willing  to  help  themselves. 

We  next  come  to  the  far-famed  and  highly-celebrated  Frederick 
Douglass,  renowned  over  all  the  earth  wherever  honest  worth  is  appre 
ciated  and  valued  by  the  civilized  sons  and  daughters  of  Adam.  The 
name  of  "Fred.  Douglass,"  as  he  is  affectionately  called,  stands  out 
in  alto-relief  with  that  of  John  Bunyan,  George  Washington,  and  some 
few  others  who  carry  fame  and  goodness  with  them  at  one  and  the 
same  time.  Nobody  seems  to  be  jealous  of  them  nor  envy  them,  for 
their  fame  is  far  beyond  the  reach  of  jealousy  or  envy.  It  would  be  a 
difficult  thing  to  find  a  village,  valley  or  an  isle  of  any  ocean  on  the 


SOUTHERN    CHIVALRY—    ARCUMENTvsRsus  CLUB'S . 


HISTOKICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  205 

face  of  the  globe  where  the  familiar  endearing  name  of  Fred.  Douglass 
has  not  been  heard.  The  children  growing  up  at  their  mothers'  knees 
have  learned  to  lisp  it  as  a  name  to  be  revered ;  and  when  they  grow  up 
to  man's  estate,  nothing  will  content  them  until  they  have  read  the  life 
of  the  famous  Fred.  Douglass. 

The  opinion,  or  rather  the  belief,  has  prevailed  in  America  that 
Fred.  Douglass  was  the  son  of  a- white  father  and  colored  mother,  and 
that  white  father  has  been  supposed  to  have  been  his  oiwner.  But  in 
the  history  of  his  own  life  and  times,  published  a  few  years  ago,  Doug 
lass  positively  affirms  that  both  his  parents  were  colored,  and  for  my 
own  part  I  believe  that  tot  be  the  truth.  As  men  like  Fred.  Douglass 
are  very  few  and  far  between,  the  wish  among  many  of  the  anti-slavery 
school,  at  least,  seems  to  have  been  father  to  the  thought  that  so  clever 
a  man  could  never  have  been  the  offspring  of  colored  parents,  but  that 
his  father,  at  least,  must  have  been  white.  Not  so,  by  any  means ! 
Fred,  himself  makes  it  quite  plain  that  his  father  and  mother  were 
both  colored,  and  he  tells  us  all  about  it  in  his  usual  modest  way. 

Fred.  Douglass  was  boirn  in  the  region  called  Tuckahoe  Neck, 
in  Talbot  county,  on  the  Eastern  Shore  of  Maryland,  in  the  year  1817. 
There  is  something  unusually  sad  and  plaintive  about  the  way  in  which 
the  poor  child  was  separated  from  his  own  father  and  mother,  and 
•how  he  came  up  on  the  rough  side  of  the  mountain  of  slavery.  .  The 
poor  lad  was  subjected  not  only  to  the  purest  barbarities,  but  had  to 
undergo  treatment  that  may  be  called  sheer  cowardice  on  the  part  of 
his  tormentors.  Well  might  the  Prophet  exclaim,  "How  long,  O 
Lord,  how  long?"  Whilst  he  was- a  boy,  growing  up  at  Baltimore,  his 
mistress  kindly  taught  him  his  letters,  and  went  some  way  in  giving 
him  further  instructions,  till  at  last  his  master  advised  her  to  stop 
teaching  him,  as  such  things  and  slavery  did  mot  work  well  together. 
No,  indeed !  They  did  not  work  well  together,  especially  in  the  heart 
and  soul  of  a  boy  like  Fred.,  who  already  began  to  look  into  the  work 
ings  of  the  curse  of  slavery.  To  stop  Fred,  from  learning  was  now 
impossible.  One  might  as  well  dam  up  a  mountain  rill  with  one's 
hands — it  would  simply  flow  over  the  top  of  them,  or  round  about 
them.  Nature  will  have  her  way,  and  the  great  Creator  had  implanted 
the  germ  of  liberty  in  the  boy's  heart,  whose  growth  was  not  to  be 
kept  down.  After  many  ups  and  downs  on  the  Eastern  and  Western 


206  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN    NEGRO. 

Shores  of  Maryland,  when  our  hero  had  arrived  at  about  the  age  of 
twenty-one,  in  the  year  1838,  he  resolved  to  make  a  bold  stroke  for 
liberty ;  and  accordingly,  being  dressed  up  like  a  sailor,  he  took  the 
train  at  Baltimore  for  Philadelphia,  luckily  escaping  detection,  and 
having  successfully  run  the  gauntlet  by  the  way,  he  landed  upon  the 
platform  of  the  Quaker  City  all  right.  But  he  did  not  consider  him 
self  safe  even  here ;  so  he  left  Philadelphia,  still  dressed  in  his  sailor's 
suit,  and  came  on  to  the  city  of  New  York. 

"Arise !  Shine  forth ;  for  thy  light  has  come,  and  the  glory  of 
the  Lord  has  risen  upo'n  thee !"  Thus  said  the  Prophet,  and  Fred . 
Douglass,  in  his  last  book — the  history  of  his  life  and  times — almost 
sets  up  a  perfect  yell  of  delight  at  having  escaped  from  the  horrors  of 
slavery  and  being  a  free  man.  The  few  days  he  spent  in  New  York 
City  among  the  friends  of  the  free  must  have  been  a  perfect  spring-time 
of  life  to  him — free,  free,  free,  as  the  wild  waves  of  the  deep!  Free  to 
go  where  he  pleased,  and  to  read  and  study  what  he  liked.  Our  glor 
ious  youthful  Fred. — this  splendid,  well-built,  stout-bodied  young  man 
of  twenty-tone,  did  a  very  sensible  thing  whilst  in  New  York.  He  had 
a  lady-love  at  Baltimore,  a  free  young  woman  of  color  named  Anna ; 
but  before  he  moved  a  step  further  he  sent  for  her  to  come  on  to 
New  York  City.  So  to  New  York  she  came,  and  here  the  interesting 
young  couple  were  married.  This,  indeed,  was  a  very  lively  stroke  of 
business  on  the  part  of  Frederick,  but  he  was  now  at  the  golden  age 
of  twenty-one ;  it  was  best  for  him  to  marry  now,  because  it  would 
give  him  something  to  live  and  toil  for,  and  also  give  ballast  to  his 
ship  of  life."  The  Great  Creator  and  his  daughter  "Nature"  made  no 
mistakes.  My  own  marriage  with  my  own  beloved  Tom  has  been 
no  failure.  We  have  never  repented  of  it,  either  of  us.  We  could  have 
done  no  better.  And  so  it  was  with  Fred.  Douglass  and  his  beloved 
Anna,  from  Baltimore.  There  never  was  a  more  manly  bridegroom 
than  he.  Above  all  things  he  was  a  Christian  and  a  gentleman,  in  the 
very  essence  of  his  nature;  a  man  of  lofty  honor  and  principle,  and 
with  such  a  man  as  that  a  young  woman  is  forever  in  safety. 

All  this  time,  1838,  the  Abolitionists  were  under  full  swing,  led  on 
by  William  Lloyd  Garrison,  of  Massachusetts,  and  backed  up  by  all 
those  who  beheld  the  dawn  of  freedom  on  the  Eastern  horizon.  Gar 
rison's  paper,  "The  Liberator,"  sent  forth  its  blasts  all  over  the  North- 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  207 

ern  States ;  but  the  North  at  that  time  abode  in  thick  darkness  as  to  the 
rights  of  colored  men  to  freedom  on  the  self-same  footing  with  them 
selves.  And  not  only  did  thick  darkness  cover  the  land,  but  entire 
legions  and  hosts  of  the  people  were  almost  as  much  prejudiced  upon 
the  slave  question  as  the  slave-holders  of  the  South.  They  had  no 
more  idea  of  the  grand,  self-elevating  capabilities  of  the  colored  race 
than  the  child  that  was  unborn ;  and  the  ignorant  masses  of  white 
people  were  certainly  unwilling  to  give  them  a  chance.  And  our  poor, 
dear  Fred.,  now  a  married  man,  had  just  to  stand  his  chances,  and 
run  his  risks  with  the  rest,  while  the  untutored  North  was  in  such  a 
crude  and  chaotic  state.  Therefore,  on  account  of  the  presence  of  so 
much  ignorance  and  prejudice  againt  men  of  color  in  New  York  City, 
the  friends  of  freedom  considered  it  unsafe  for  Frederick  Douglass  to 
remain  there  any  longer,  and  advised  him  to  move  on  to  New  Bedford, 
in  Massachusetts,  where  he  would  at  least  be  out  of  danger.  We  can 
never  forget  the  honored  name  of  Mr.  David  Ruggles,  a  colored  gen 
tleman  of  New  York  City,  in  connection  with  these  events.  It  was  he 
who  mainly  took  charge  of  our  hero  and  his  wife  in  New  York  City, 
and  sent  them  on  to  New  Bedford.  And  when  they  arrived  in  New 
Bedford,  they  were  met  by  one  Mr.  Nathan  Johnson,  a  very  intelligent 
and  industrious  colored  man,  a  warm  friend  of  theirs,  who  advanced 
them  a  sum  of  money  to  redeem  their  baggage,  which  was  held  for 
fare.  He  advised  Fred,  to  drop  the  name  of  Fred.  Lloyd,  and  to  call 
himself  "Fred.  Douglass,"  as  he  (Nathan  Johnson)  had  lately  been 
reading  of  Douglass,  in  Sir  Walter  Scott's  novels,  relating  to  Scotland 
and  the  Scotch. 

Being  now  in  possession  of  his  freedom,  having  a  sweet  young 
wife  and  a  home  of  his  own,  he  had  something  to  live  for !  Douglass 
had  learned  the  trade  of  the  ship-builder,  at  Baltimore,  but  was  unable 
to  work  at  that  trade  at  New  Bedford,  on  account  of  the  prejudices  of 
the  white  workmen  there  against  color,  for  had  he  taken  his  tools  in 
among  them  and  gone  to  work,  they  would  all  at  once  have  stopped 
work  and  left  the  yard.  Such  was  the  character  of  even  Northern  men 
in  the  year  1838,  but  Douglass  was  not  the  man  to  flinch.  He  was 
strong,  hardy  and  handy  at  almost  everything.  If  he  could  not  do 
one  thing  he  could  do  another;  and  therefore  he  picked  up  a  living  at 
anything  that  presented  itself  to  him. 


208  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

The  whole  colored  race  are  preeminently  inquiring,  and  possess 
a  thirst  and  love  for  knowledge  in  the  very  highest  degree.  Fred. 
Douglass  was  a  splendid  specimen  of  this  noble  trait  of  character.  Be 
ing  now  his  own  master,  he  literally  devoured  knowledge,  and  his 
splendid  intellect  expanded,  flourished  and  grew  on  apace  like  the 
growth  of  vegetation  in  the  tropics.  He  was  noi  longer  watched,  or  al 
most  murdered,  if  he  was  found  with  a  book  in  his  hand !  He  was  no 
longer  the  so-called  "property"  of  a  fellow  calling  himself  his  "owner," 
who  robbed  him  of  his  week's  wages,  and  then  pretended  "to  make  him 
a  present  of  a  quarter  of  his  own  money  to  treat  himself  with !  Oh, 
dear  me,  no-!  No  more  of  that  for  him  !  When  this  brave  young  man, 
this  hero  of  twenty-one  had  done  his  day's  work,  he  came  home  to  his 
beloved  Anna  at  his  cosy  home  in  Xew  Bedford,  and  after  he  had  his 
supper,  the  way  was  clear  for  a  grand  time  reading  "The  Liberator," 
which  William  Lloyd  Garrison  sent  out  every  week,  and  that  fired  the 
warm,  receptive  mind  and  heart  of  young  Fred.,  so  that  his  fame  as  a 
brilliant  conversationalist  and  a  well-read  man,  spread  rapidly  through 
out  the  town.  He  had  been  often  listened  to  as  an  exhorter  and 
unusually  fervid  speaker  at  the  colored  Methodist  Church  in  the 
town,  and  all  men  with  sharp  eyes  perceived  that  another  star  had 
risen  in  the  intellectual  heavens,  and  that  some  circumstance  or  other 
would  bring  him  to  the  front  some  day.  And  it  came  to  pass  as  they 
had  prophesied! 

In  New  Bedford  Mr.  Douglass  had  attended  several  meetings  in 
defence  of  the  poor,  oppressed  slave ;  and  there  he  had  heard  the  most 
unmitigated  denunciation  of  the  whole  infamous  system  of  slavery. 
The  eloquent,  burning  language  of  the  speakers  went  home  to  his 
heart.  In  the  summer  of  1841,  when  Douglass  was  twenty-four  years 
old,  an  anti-slavery  convention  was  to  be  held  at  Nantucket,  Massa 
chusetts,  a  place  not  far  from  New  Bedford,  and  the  convention  would 
be  under  the  management  of  the  famous  William  Lloyd  Garrison, 
whose  weekly  paper,  "The  Liberator,"  Douglass  had  been  devouring 
week  by  week  with  such  unwonted  avidity.  He  determined  to  take  a 
little  respite  from  his  hard  work  in  the  brass  foundry,  and  attend  this 
gathering  of  anti-slavery  people.  There  was  a  great  assemblage  of 
people  at  Nantucket.  The  fires  of  enthusiasm  on  behalf  of  the  op 
pressed  slave  burned  hot  and  high.  In  the  midst  of  the  vast  audience 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  209 

I 

here  assembled,  there  was  one  Mr.  Wm.  C.  Coffin,  who  had  heard  the 
eloquent  and  burning  words  of  Frederick  Douglass  as  he  harangued 
the  little  audiences  of  the  colored  Methodist  Church  in  New  Bedford . 
Mr.  Coffin  sought  out  our  unknown  hero,  and  gave  him  such  a  vigor 
ous  invitation  to  speak  that  his  hesitancy,  and  bashfulness,  and  back 
wardness  were  all  entirely  overcome,  and  Fred.  Douglass,  nothing 
daunted,  now  mounted  the  platform,  and  made  such  an  oration  as  filled 
every  thinking  man  and  woman  with  astonishment.  His  simple,  burn- 
ing  tale  of  his  own  wrongs  and  experiences  completely  swept  his  audi 
ence  away,  and  like  the  Queen  of  Sheba,  there  seemed  to  be  no  more 
spirit  left  in  them.  Fred.  Douglass  had  come  to  stay! 

The  name  and  fame  of  Fred.  Douglass  arose  like  a  brilliant  and 
new  star  in  the  heavens.  He  began  to  travel  and  lecture  in  different 
parts  of  the  New  England  States,  and  paid  visits  to  other  sections  of 
the  North.  His  noble  presence  and  splendid  eloquence  drew  the  eyes 
and  ears  of  the  whole  country.  His  great  name  crossed  the  Atlantic, 
and  spread  throughout  the  British  Isles.  His  powerful  pen,  in  the 
columns  of  "The  Liberator,"  and  elsewhere,  added  still  further  to  his 
fame.  Everybody  who  hated  and  detested  slavery  desired  to  see  him 
and  to  hear  him  speak.  He  was  a  power  in  the  anti-slavery  party,  and 
he  himself  laid  the  axe  most  willingly  with  all  his  might  and  main. 
The  question  arose,  "If  one  colored  man  can  do  so  much,  what  can 
the  whole  race  do,  if  they  were  set  at  liberty  ?"  On  account  of  the  ris 
ing  excitement  all  over  the  land  on  the  slavery  question,  in  the  year 
1845,  the  friends  of  Mr.  Douglass  sent  him  toi  England.  In  crossing 
the  North  Atlantic  the  passengers  called  upon  him  to  make  a  speech 
on  the  question  of  slavery,  and  he  complied.  There  were  several  gen 
tlemen  on  board  who  most  violently  objected  to  any  such  attacks  on 
their  holy  ( !)  institution  of  slavery ;  but  the  captain  was  master  of  his 
own  vessel,  and  put  down  that  Southern  mutiny  with  a  strong  hand. 
These  pro-slavery  gentlemen  tried  toi  justify  their  conduct  afterwards 
in  the  London  papers ;  but  John  Bull  would  not  hear  them,  and  it  was 
simply  a  splendid  advertisement  for  the  fair  name  and  fame  of  Mr. 
Douglass. 

For  two  years  he  travelled  the  British  Isles,  speaking  upon  the 
subject  of  American  slavery.  He  was  received  well  everywhere,  and 
the  fine  scpreading  plains  of  Old  England,  the  beautiful  valleys  of 


210  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

Wales,  the  green  fields  of  Ireland,  and  the  bold  mountains  of  Scotland, 
all  rang  with  the  illustrious  name  of  Fred.  Douglass. 

Such  a  man  as  he  was  did  not  belong  tc  the  colored  race  alone, 
and  to  the  United  States ;  he  belonged  to  the  whole  world,  and  to  all 
races.  Such  men  can  never  be  appropriated  by  one  people,  but  they 
are,  indeed,  the  common  property  of  all.  Douglass  returned  home, 
.and  founded  a  paper  called  "The  North  Star."  He  moved  to  Roches 
ter,  N.  Y.,  and  there  he  and  his  family  took  up  their  abode.  The  glor 
ious  work  for  the  destruction  of  slavery  went  on,  grew  and  increased, 
and  at  last  brought  on  the  war  of  secession,  and  freedom  likewise  for 
the  entire  enslaved  race.  Mr.  Douglass  then  removed  to  Washington, 
and  was  honored  with  high  offices  in  the  services  of  his  native  country. 
He  had  the  misfortune  of  losing  his  darling  Anna,  though  after  five 
years  he  married  again,  and  went  on  a  wedding  tour  to  Europe  and  the 
East,  this  being  his  third  voyage  across  the  ocean.  He  died  at  Wash 
ington  in  February,  1895,  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight — no  very  great 
age,  but  then  he  had  done  the  work,of  ten  men,  and  that  wears  human 
life  rapidly  away. 

Thousands  of  eminent  men  have  arisen  from  the  ranks  of  the  col 
ored  race  since  1865,  and  thousands  are  now  upon  their  feet  also. 
Their  names  have  reached  the  ends  of  the  earth.  But  Fred.  Douglass 
was  early  in  the  field,  and  he  was  a  very,  very  bright  particular  star. 
Like  John  Bunyan,  George  Washington,  and  some  few  others,  he 
shines  for  all  time,  and  for  the  entire  human  race.  He  did  a  mighty 
work  for  God  and  humanity.  Of  all  those  illustrious  men  who  have 
been  born  of  women,  there  has  never  arisen  a  greater  man,  in  all  the 
annals  of  time,  than  our  congenial  friend  and  brother,  Fred.  Douglass. 

My  dear  reader,  I  have  given  but  short  sketches  of  two>  eminent 
colored  men  who  elevated  themselves  head  and  shoulder  above  their 
fellows,  for  the  purpose  of  showing  what  the  race  can  do.  And  I  could 
go  on  to  any  length  in  the  same  strain,  and  pick  out  and  describe  other 
eminent  men  whose  fame  has  reached  the  ends  of  the  earth,  though  not 
in  the  same  degree,  as  Fred.  Douglass.  But  I  need  not  dwell  further 
here  in  showing  what  we  can  do,  especially  now  that  we  are  set  free. 
Though  the  whole  world  freely  admits  that  we  have  done  well,  and  very 
well,  still,  we  are  only  now  at  the  threshold  of  our  advancement,  for  it 
is  only  thirty  odd  years  since  the  close  of  the  war.  But  in  that  short 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  211 

time  we  have  beaten  every  other  race  in  the  way  of  progress,  and  the 
sun  is  only  yet  one  hour  above  the  horizon.  By  and  by  we  shall  have 
the  full  noon-day. 

I  have  mentioned  Fred.  Douglass  and  Daniel  E.  Payne,  and  it  is 
only  just  that  a  couple  of  other  representative  women  should  be  singled 
out,  to  show  what  our  women  can  do.  We  have  had  no  bright,  parti 
cular  star  among  the  gentler  sex,  like  Fred.  Douglass  among  men; 
but  still  the  colored  race,  like  other  peoples,  can  certainly  boast  of  a 
splendid  galaxy  of  eminent  and  clever  women,  who  only  lacked  better 
education  and  wider  and  greater  'Opportunities  to  shine  more  than  they 
did.  The  women  have  so  far  not  had  the  same  chances  as  the  men, 
but  they  are  getting  them  now,  and  they  are  coming  to  the  front  one 
by  one — coming  out,  one  here  and  another  there,  like  the  bright  stars 
of  the  night.  High-schools  and  colleges  of  all  kinds  are  now  thrown 
open  for  our  daughters,  and  wherever  there  are  genius  and  ability  they 
\vill  forge  to  the  front,  and  make  themselves  known. 

Contemporaneous  with  Bishop  Daniel  E.  Payne  and  Fred.  Doug 
lass  we  mention  the  name  of  Mrs.  Frances  Ellen  Harper,  who  was 
born  in  Baltimore,  Md.,  in  the  year  1825.  Her  home  for  many  years 
has  been  the  Queen  City  of  Philadelphia.  Mrs.  Harper  is  a  noble 
woman  among  women,  and  impresses  all  comers  with  her  unusual  nat 
ural  sweetness,  and  graceful,  lady-like  ways.  There  is  a  deal  of  mag 
netism  about  her  that  attracts  all  those  who  hear  her  sweet,  well- 
trained  voice,  and  that  draws  us  towards  her  by  the  comeliness  of  her 
graceful  presence.  We  have  all  heard  of  "a  bundle  of  love,"  but  Mrs. 
Frances  Harper  is  a  bundle  of  natural  and  cultivated  intellect,  and  of 
refined  and  polished  manners.  Her  sweetness  draws  us  to  her,  like  the 
charming  and  fragrant  rose  in  the  flower  garden.  Born  during  the  reign 
of  slavery,  when  days  were  dark  and  friends  were  few,  she  did  not  have 
a  right  and  proper  opportunity  of  getting  an  early  education,  as  the 
young  ladies  are  getting  to-day.  But  all  the  same,  the  great  Creator 
gave  her  talents,  and  she  has  had  a  thirst  for  knowledge  and  a  mind  to 
work.  This,  indeed,  is  half  the  battle,  and  sometimes  much  more  than 
half.  Mrs.  Harper  applied  herself  most  vigorously  to  study  as  she 
was  growing  up  in  her  teens,  and  by  the  time  she  had  come  to  woman's 
estate  she  was  well  educated.  (Thus  we  see  that  nobody  need  despair 
of  becoming  well  educated,  for  we  can  all  learn  if  we  only  have  pluck 


212  HISTOKICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

and  ambition,  and  patience  and  perseverance  with  them  to  forge  to 
the  front,  like  the  lady  in  question).  This  eminent  woman  soon  became 
widely  known  for  her  brilliant  talents,  and  all  her  sweet,  lady-like 
graces,  and  admonished  all  Abolitionists  and  anti-slavery  people  what 
our  race  could  do  if  they  were  once  freed  from  their  shackles ! 

Mrs.  Harper  possessed  a  great  natural  fondness  for  poetry,  which 
she  proceeded  early  to  cultivate,  so  that  she  had  become  well-known 
for  her  sweet  effusions  in  that  line,  and  they  have  been  published  far 
and  wide  throughout  the  world,  and  prove  that  we  have  "birds  of 
song"  among  us  as  well  as  others.  She  has  written  some  pieces  pos 
sessing  much  merit.  She  has  a  great  natural  facility  for  writing,  and 
reminds  me  of  a  clause  in  Deborah's  song  of  triumph  in  the  fifth  chap 
ter  of  the  Book  of  Judges,  "Out  of  Labulon  came  down  those  who 
handle  the  pen  of  the  writer."  For  a  facile,  easy  pen,  Mrs.  Frances 
Ellen  Harper  is  a  perfect  Labulonite,  for  she  has  shown  that  she  also 
can  handle  the  pen  of  the  writer. 

This  gifted  lady  has  also  been  a  bright  and  shining  light  on  the 
lecture  platform,  and,  indeed,  has  appeared  on  many^of  the  leading 
platforms  of  the  nation,  and  crowned  herself  with  honor  and  glory. 
She  has  proved  to  the  whole  world  that  a  woman  can  do  mighty 
deeds  as  well  as  man.  There  was  a  dark  and  doleful  time  in  this  world's 
history  when  a  woman  was  regarded  as  little  more  than  a  mere  serf, 
for  man's  will  and  pleasure  everywhere.  But  those  dark  ages  have 
passed  away,  and  women  have  advanced  to  the  front  line,  and  taken 
their  rightful  places  in  the  world.  Mrs.  Harper  is  a  living  proof  of 
this  nobility  among  women,  and  she  has  done  yeoman  service  in  trying 
to  elevate  her  sisters  of  the  colored  race.  Her  splendid  services  will 
never  be  forgotten  by  either  this  generation  or  the  generations  to 
come.  "Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant ;  enter  thou  into  the  joy 
of  thy  Lord !" 

Louise  de  Mortie,  of  Norfolk,  Va.,  was  born  of  free  parents  in  that 
place  in  the  year  1833.  As  she  was  not  allowed  to  receive  an  educa 
tion  at  the  home  of  her  youth,  she  decided  to  go  to  Boston,  where 
sne  could  get  ome.  It  was  in  the  year  1853  that  she  took  up  her  resi 
dence  in  that  city,  when  she  was  twenty  years  of  age,  with  life  and  all 
its  opportunities  before  her  in  a  free  State.  At  once  she  took  a  vigorous 
hold,  and  availed  herself  of  all  favoring  opportunities  that  presented 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  213 

themselves.  She  was  a  young  maiden  of  great  personal  beauty,  and 
possessed  a  sweet  disposition  and  a  most  remarkably  good  memory. 
She  took  very  high  standing  as  a  pupil  in  the  schools  and  seminaries 
of  Boston,  and  made  a  whole  host  of  friends,  won  over  by  her  graces 
and  accomplishments. 

In  1862  she  came  out  as  a  public  reader,  and  shone  like  a  very 
brilliant  star.  She  showed  that  she  was  a  perfect  elocutionist  by  birth, 
and  had  been  polished  like  a  rich  jewel.  Her  natural  beauty  and  per 
sonal  graces,  engaging  manners  and  richly-toned  voice,  drew  the  eyes 
of  the  whole  country.  Just  as  she  had  come  to  be  well-known,  she 
heard  of  the  great  destitution  among  the  colored  orphans  at  New  Or 
leans  at  the  close  of  the  war.  Hither  she  hastened,  and  in  1867  raised 
funds  to  build  an  asylum  for  the  colored  people  of  that  city.  This  she 
did  in  her  spirit  of  Christian  love,  and  she  won  the  hearts  of  all  those 
who  beheld  her,  like  another  angel  of  mercy,  at  her  good  works.  But 
the  yellow  fever  struck  her  down  on  the  loth  of  October  of  the  above 
year,  1867,  when  she  said  so  touchingly,  "I  belong  to  God,  our  Father,'* 
and  then  expired.  Thus  was  this  brave  young  woman  cut  off  in  her 
thirty-fourth  year.  But  she  lived  long  enough  to  show  to  others  a 
brilliant  example  that  will  never  be  forgotten. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Our  First  Great  Men  and  Women — New  Lights  to  the  Front — Our 
Own  Humble  Beginning  in  1865 — Cleanliness  and  Industry — 
Music  and  Song — Immense  Progress  in  Education,  and  a  Mighty 
Advance  Along  the  Whole  Line — The  Rapid  Increase  of  Wealth 
— The  Crime  of  Lynching — The  Church  and  Sunday-School— 
The  Colored  Man's  Right  to  Vote,  and  to  Rule  the  Nation. 

Though  I  have  only  sketched  the  lives  of  two  most  eminent  mem 
bers  of  color,  and  two.  famous  women  of  the  same  race,  I  must  con 
fess  that  I  feel  greatly  tempted  to  go  on  with  the  subject,  and  speak 
of  many  others,  some  of  whom  have  gone  to  their  reward,  and  others 
remain  alive  unto  the  present  day.  At  first  sight  the  general  reader 
might  imagine  that  those  first  bright  stars  that  shone  in  our  intellec- 
nal  firmament  were  brighter  than  the  talented  men  and  women  whom 
we  can  see  at  this  day  and  hour,  walking  up  and  down  our  streets, 
and  shining  like  suns  in  their  different  professions,  doing  splendid  ser 
vice  in  elevating  the  colored  race  in  America.  We  had  Fred.  Douglass, 
Bishop  Payne,  Mrs.  Frances  Ellen  Harper,  and  some  other  bright,  par 
ticular  stars,  who  shone  with  apparently  unusual  brilliancy  some  fifty 
or  sixty  years  ago,  and  they  have  been  set  down  for  the  seven  wonders 
of  the  world  (Fred.  Douglass,  at  least,  was  a  genuine  wonder  for  all 
time).  But  while  we  are  inclined  to  look  upon  these  worthies  as  tow 
ering  geniuses,  and  most  extraordinary  lights  in  the  heavens  in  but 
recently  bye-gone  days,  we  forget  that  the  thick  darkness  that  sur 
rounded  them  went  a  long  way  in  making  their  brilliance  and  splen 
dor  appear  far  brighter  than  they  really  were.  This  is  quite  true  of 
all  races,  and  is  no  detraction  whatever  from  the  real  merits  that  were 
justly  their  own.  I  am  safe  in  saying  that  10,000  clever  colored  men 
and  women,  representing  all  the  different  arts  and  professions,  could 
be  picked  out  at  this  day,  who  would  have  passed  for  stars  of  the  first 
magnitude,  had  they  made  their  appearance  upon  the  stage  of  time 
some  fifty  or  sixty  years  ago.  To  shine  to  the  same  extent  of  brilliancy 
and  glory  nowadays  would  indeed  be  a  very  difficult  matter,  when  the 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  215 

whole  United  States  is  flooded  with  a  great  tide  of  knowledge  that 
was  never  known  before. 

In  these  happy  days  of  ours  knowledge  covers  the  land,  as  the 
waters  cover  the  seas.  It  is  perfectly  laughable  for  me  now  to  look 
back  and  remember  the  taunting  expressions  that  were  flung  upon  our 
dear  people,  saying  that  we  had  no  originality,  and  that  we  could  never 
rise  above  being  mere  imitators  of  the  white  man !  In  those  days  our 
people  were  in  slavery,  and  had  no  opportunities  of  showing  what  they 
were  capable  of  doing.  But  now  we  are  free,  and  we  can  all. go  to 
school,  and  education  can  polish  us  like  other  races,  in  the  same  way 
as  we  polish  the  block  of  marble,  and  cut  out  the  precious  jewels  of  all 
descriptions.  If  we  leave  a  diamond  in  its  rude,  rough  state,  like  the 
colored  race  in  the  dark  days  of  slavery,  that  diamond  will  continue 
to  be  rude  and  rough  still ;  but  place  the  precious  stone  in  the  hand  of 
the  jeweler,  and  we  shall  soon  behold  a  bright  and  shining  precious 
stone,  indeed.  It  was  not  only  cruel,  but  it  was  cowardly  to  taunt  a 
whole  race  of  people  with  incapacity  and  lack  of  talent,  when  our  ene 
mies  had  our  hands  tied,  and  were  unwilling  to  give  us  a  chance.  But 
by  the  grace  of  God,  and  the  blood  of  the  Americans,  both  white  and 
black,  we  are  now  all  free,  and  thousands  upon  thousands  of  our  dear 
people  have  acquired  splendid  educations,  in  all  the  different  profes 
sions  and  walks  of  life,  and  they  have  proved  to  the  whole  world,  both 
men  and  women,  that  there  is  talent  and  genius  among  our  sons  and 
daughters  who  have  forged  to  the  front,  who  are  self-made  men  and 
women,  indeed — men  and  women  who  have  risen  from  the  ranks,  just 
the  same  as  officers  and  commanders  start  up  from  the  ranks  in  the 
time  of  war. 

My  dear  reader,  we  are  often  told  that  poverty  is  no  disgrace,  but 
that  it  is  very  inconvenient.  Which  is  all  true,  indeed,  too  true ;  and 
what  is  still  worse,  it  often  cannot  be  helped.  In  days  not  so  long- 
since  gone  by,  we  used  to  be  taunted  with  poverty,  but  if  we  had  no 
possessions  of  our  own  in  the  days  of  slavery,  we  at  least,  like  the 
apostle  Paul,  made  others  rich,  and  it  was  our  oppressed  people  who 
built  up  the  Sunny  South — the  richest  section  of  the  United  States  be 
fore  the  war.  If  we  had  had  all  the  wealth  that  was  thus  stolen  away 
from  us  and  given  to  those  who  led  on  the  great  rebellion,  we  would 
never  had  been  turned  loose  with  nothing  in  our  hands  in  1865,  and  to 


210  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

begin  life  anew  at  the  lowermost  round  of  the  ladder  of  prosperity.  It 
is  very  true  that  even  in  the  days  of  slavery  there  were  colored  men 
scattered  over  all  the  free  States  of  the  Union,  many  of  whom  had 
amassed  vast  sums  of  money,  and  who  were  invariably  treated  with 
great  respect  and  honor  by  white  people  because  they  were  rich.  So 
long  as  they  had  plenty  of  money  it  was  all  right,  and  there  was  nothing 
either  thought  or  said  about  the  color  of  their  skin.  But  if  the  whole 
race  of  colored  people  in  the  South  were  turned  loose  with  nothing  in 
1865,  they  have  at  least  made  in  the  aggregate  immense  sums  of 
money  since  then,  and  devoted  it  all  to  those  noble  purposes  wherby 
the  entire  race  has  been  raised  up  and  elevated  in  the  scale  of  nations. 
Above  all  other  causes,  religion  and  education  have  been  thus  spread 
all  over  the  land,  the  money  being  supplied  by  a  willing  people,  whose 
good  natural  inclination  to  give  has  never  been  surpassed,  and  very 
seldom  equalled  by  any  race  under  the  sun.  Immense  sums  of  money 
have  been  put  away  in  savings  banks,  and  property  in  land  is  a  noble 
feature  of  the  wisdom  of  our  people  in  the  South. 

Take  the  more  than  8,000,000  colored  people  all  over  the  Union, 
and  behold  what  a  vast  number  own  their  own  houses,  and  have  money 
to  their  credit  stored  up  in  banks  against  a  rainy  day.  And  then  see 
the  comfort,  cleanliness  and  order  to  be  observed  everywhere  in  an 
untold  number  of  dwellings.  The  colored  race  are  unusually  fond 
of  cleanliness  and  order  in  their  nice  and  cosy  snug  homes,  when  they 
can  get  them ;  and  take  the  United  States  all  over  to-day,  it  is  most 
astonishing  to  behold  such  a  number  of  beautiful  and  comfortable 
homes  as  there  are.  I  think,  dear  reader,  that  our  own  people  taken 
as  a  whole,  have  been  both  industrious  and  thrifty  since  the  close  of 
the  war,  and,  as  the  Bible  tells  us,  they  have  succeeded  in  building  rp 
the  walls  of  Jerusalem,  because  they  have  had  a  mind  to  work.  Wher 
ever  there  is  a  will  there  is  a  way.  It  is  all  very  true  that  some  among  us 
are  extravagant,  lazy,  shiftless,  but  that  is  quite  true  of  the  white  race, 
too,  only  I  think  more  so,  and  we  never  condemn  a  whole  race  for  the 
faults  of  a  few. 

Let  us  then  judge  fairly,  and  award  to  the  colored  race  what  be 
longs  to  them  by  right.  As  in  the  days  of  slavery,  so  at  the  present 
day  it  is  the  colored  man  who  still  extracts  the  wealth  from  the  soil 
of  the  South,  partly  for  himself,  and  partly  for  the  white  man.  He  can 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  217 

stand  the  heat  of  the  sun  far  better  than  the  white  tiller  of  the  soil, 
and  it  seems  that  the  rich  white  man  would  rather  have  him  than  the 
other.  In  the  days  of  slavery  we  had  to  do  the  best  we  could.  We 
had  no  Vanderbilt  palaces  to  live  in  then.  But  now  we  have  at  least 
lots  of  comforts — nice  furniture,  carpets,  pictures  hanging  from  our 
walls,  whole  libraries  on  our  book-shelves,  and  hundreds  of  other 
things  too  numerous  to  mention. 

Music  and  song  are  more  or  less  bound  up  with  the  history  of 
•every  nation  of  which  we  have  ever  heard  or  read.  Away  back  in 
the  dark  night  of  slavery  in  America,  the  slaves  in  the  field  used  to 
sing  their  mournful,  plaintive,  yet  musical  ditties  to  lighten  their  heavy 
labors,  and  cheer  up  their  hearts.  These  ditties  were  songs  and  pray 
ers  at  one  and  the  same  time.  In  the  day  of  his  distress,  the  African 
never  forgot  the  God  who  brought  Israel  out  of  Egypt,  and  we  know 
quite  well  that  many  of  our  own  people  confidently  expected  that  day 
of  happy  deliverance  that  came  at  last  to  all.  Therefore  they  sang 
praises  unto  the  Lord,  God  of  Israel,  and,  like  the  Psalmist,  they 
prayed  and  sang  at  the  same  time;  and  we  have  it  plainly  on  record 
that  they  had  powerful  lungs  and  most  wonderfully  rich  voices,  show 
ing  in  advance  what  great  and  famous  singers  they  would  become  if 
their  musical  talents  were  only  fully  developed  like  others.  I  have 
already  spoken  of  the  "Jubilee  Minstrels,"  who  were  mostly  born  in 
slavery,  many  of  whom  indeed  "came  up  by  the  rough  side  of  the 
mountain,"  and  yet  who  possessed  such  a  wealth  of  music  and  song 
within  themselves  that  they  surprised  the  whole  country,  and  even 
•crossed  the  North  Atlantic,  and  rendered  themselves  illustrious  for 
all  coming  time'  by  performing  and  singing  before  Queen  Victoria,  the 
grandees  and  general  population  of  the  British  Isles,  and  some  of  the 
royal  families,  and  magnates  and  peoples  of  continental  Europe.  This 
was  honor,  indeed,  with  a  vengeance!  Old  England  and  all  the  rest 
cared  nothing  for  the  color  of  the  skin.  They  all  at  once  set  their 
seals  upon  the  wonderful  talents  of  the  colored  race  in  the  musical  line, 
and  there  was  rejoicing  among  Freedom's  friends  over  all  the  earth. 

The  time  would  fail  to  mention  the  names  of  all  those  eminent 
singers  who  have  made  themselves  illustrious  in  these  latter  years  in 
this  country,  and  not  in  this  country  alone,  but  they  have  crossed  the 
•wide  oceans  in  ships,  and  sung  before  the  admiring  audiences  of  many 


218  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

a  foreign  land.  But  among  all  these  great  singers  of  our  race  who 
have  thus  distinguished  themselves,  I  will  simply  mention  the  name 
of  Miss  Flora  Batson,  who  has  justly  been  called  the  "Jenny  Lind  of 
America,"  and  she  can  sing,  indeed,  before  any  audience  in  this  nation 
— a  veritable  nightingale  and  queen  of  song.  But  leaving  her  and  a 
whole  host  of  other  warblers  on  one  side,  there  is  a  grandeur  in  sing 
ing  of  our  church  members  and  congregations  on  the  Sabbath-day 
that  has  become  the  standing  wonder  of  the  country ;  and  it  is  my  own 
deliberate  opinion,  and  the  openly-confessed  opinion  of  many  of  the 
white  race,  that  for  music  and  song,  at  least,  we  have  no  equals  in  the 
United  States. 

I  think  we  may  safely  claim  that  not  only  can  we  play  and 
sing,  but  we  can  play  and  sing  well,  there  arising  from  the  great  con 
gregation  a  grand  volume  of  music  and  song  that  reminds  me  of  the 
"voice  of  many  waters,"  mentioned  in  the  Revelations — a  volume  of 
song  rising  from  powerful  lungs,  and  helped  on  by  the  warm  feelings 
and  enthusiasm  of  the  race.  And  as  our  oppressed  forefathers  whiled 
away  the  long  hours  in  the  field,  and  lightened  their  labors  by  singing, 
so  our  people  nowadays  bring  home  tlie  latest  new  hymn  or  fine  an 
them  of  praise,  and  sing  them  at  home  to  brighten  up  their  domestic 
cares,  and  find  a  vent  for  that  joyous  nature  and  devotional  enthusiasm 
for  which  the  colored  race  are  famed  over  all  the  earth. 

The  greatest  blot  at  the  present  time  upon  the  fair  fame  and  name 
of  the  internal  and  domestic  doings  of  the  United  States,  as  it  appears 
to  me,  is  lynching.  And  this  lynching  is  not  confined  to  any  particu 
lar  race,  or  any  particular  crime,  but  we  find,  to  a  greater  or  less  de 
gree,  all  over  the  land,  from  the  Lakes  to  the  Gulf,  a  mob  spirit  among 
the  people  to  take  the  law  into  their  own  hands,  whenever  any  flag 
rant  breach  of  law  occurs,  and  hang  their  victim  on  the  nearest  tree. 
The  mob  is  unwilling  to  leave  the  matter  in  the  hands  of  the  regularly 
constituted  authorities,  and  proceeds  to  murder  the  supposed  criminal 
in  its  own  way.  I  say  supposed  criminal,  because  the  man  they  are 
hunting  after  is  often  not  the  right  man  at  all;  an  innocent  man  is  put 
to  death,  and  the  guilty  man  escapes.  It  has  also  been  proven  beyond 
the  shadow  of  a  doubt,  because  we  have  •all  seen  the  records  of  the 
same  in  the  public  papers  at  the  time,  that  white  men  have  been  in 
the  habit  of  blackening  their  faces  when  about  to  commit  some  heinous 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  219 

offence,  and  thus  try  to  produce  the  impression  that  the  guilty  party 
was  a  colored  man,  and  not  a  white  man  at  all!  Cases  have  thus  oc 
curred  where  innocent  colored  men  have  been  lynched,  and  the  real 
criminals  made  their  escape  by  simply  discoloring  their  faces.  There 
is  hardly  a  week  passes  but  we  find  the  hurrying  mobs  themselves  dis 
covering  their  own  mistakes,  sometimes  in  time  to  prevent  the  execu 
tion,  but  at  other  times  too  late.  It  is  very  true  that  on  many  occas 
ions  the  really  guilty  party  is  taken,  confesses  his  crime,  and  is  duly 
executed  by  the  wild  and  unruly  mob  of  lynchers. 

The  chief  fault,  as  it  appears  to  my  mind,  is  a  lack  of  firmness  on 
the  part  of  the  States,  and  I  might  also  add  of  the  central  government 
at  Washington.  It  is  a  perfect  scandal  to  a  duly  constituted  govern 
ment  to  say  that  they  are  not  able  to  carry  out  the  law,  or  let  the  law 
take  its  course.  Who  would  believe  for  a  moment  that  England  or 
Russia  would  allow  any  and  every  wild  mob  to  take  their  victims  out 
of  the  hands  of  the  police,  and,  in  fact,  administer  the  law  for  them  ? 
Such  a  test  of  home  authority  would  never  run  on  for  twenty-four 
hours  in  any  foreign  civilized  land.  If  the  Governors  and  the  authori 
ties  would  show  a  proper  amount  of  firmness,  and  the  central  govern 
ment  at  Washington  would  tighten  up  the  screws  a  little  all  these  lynch- 
ings  would  come  to  an  end,  and  such  a  thing  would  be  heard  of  nomore. 
With  regard  to  the  Southern  States,  at  least,  where  lynchings  have  been 
more  common,  the  taunting  question  has  been  asked  by  foreign  na 
tions,  "Are  the  Southern  States  fit  for  civilization,  and  ought  they  to 
be  depended  on  to  govern  themselves?"  Well,  I  think  they  are  fit  for 
self-government,  but  the  screws  ought  to  be  tightened  up  considerably, 
and  I  think  the  sooner  the  better.  If  I  had  any  power  to  advise  the 
Houses  at  Washington,  I  would  advise  them  to  take  the  scandal  of 
lynching  by  the  wild  mobs  into  their  own  hands,  and  put  a  stop  to  it 
in  their  own  way.  And  let  Congress  see  that  all  races  and  crimes  are 
treated  alike,  and  let  the  duly  constituted  authorities  of  the  States  ad 
minister  the  laws  for  which  they  are  appointed  and  paid.  Lynching  is 
not  only  a  breach  of  the  law,  but  it  is  murder  itself,  and  a  horrible  sys 
tem  of  crime  and  public  disorder  that  have  brought  this  most  shameful 
nation  into  great  disrepute.  Let  us  hope  and  pray  that  something  may 
be  done  very  soon  to  bring  this  national  scandal  to  an  end ;  and  let 


220  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

public  murder  by  infuriated  mobs  come  to  an  end,  and  be  heard  of 
no  more. 

In  the  books  which  Fred.  Douglass  wrote  of  his  life  and  times 
he  always  mentions  the  miserable  and  doleful  processions  of  slaves 
who  were  driven,  during  the  darkness  of  the  night,  from  the  pens  into 
which  they  had  been  gathered  in  Baltimore  to  the  vessels  which  were 
to  sail  with  them  to  Georgia  and  other  scenes  of  toil  and  exhaustion  in 
the  far-distant  South.  Alas,  alas!  The  Sunny  South  had  no  joys  for 
them,  and  as  they  passed  through  the  streets  of  Baltimore,  during  the 
night,  they  wailed  and  lamented  their  hard  fate.  This  leads  me  on  to 
reflect,  my  dear  reader,  upon  the  gloriously-altered  state  of  affairs  that 
freedom  has  brought  around,  and  which  we  can  see  all  around  about 
us  at  the  present  day.  One  of  the  grandest  sights  that  delights  our 
eyes  now  is  the  great  array  of  Sunday-Schools  in  every  State  and 
county  of  the  United  States.  I  have  always  called  the  Sunday-School 
^'the  children's  church,"  and  it  is  the  children's  church,  indeed,  and  a 
glorious  church  at  that,  too.  Far  and  wide,  spread  over  all  this  broad 
land,  running  all  along  the  way  from  the  wild  Atlantic  to  the  mild  Pa 
cific,  and  from  the  Lakes  to  the  Gulf,  young,  well-dressed  boys  and 
girls  in  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  may  be  seen  wending  their 
happy  way  to  their  own  dearly  beloved  "Children's  Church" — I  mean 
their  Sunday-School.  The  great  and  powerful  wide-spread  Methodist, 
Baptist  and  other  grand  churches,  organized  and  carried  on  by  the 
-colored  race  to  the  utmost  limits  of  the  American  Union,  deserve  the 
utmost  praise  for  pains  and  labors  they  have  been  at  to  make  such 
splendid  provision  for  the  rising  generation  of  boys  and  girls,  who 
thus  go  forth  upon  the  Sabbath-day  to  worship  the  Lord  in  their  own 
youthful,  sweet  and  attractive  way,  well  taught  by  devoted  men  and 
women,  who  rear  their  tender  vines,  and  watch  over  them,  and  tend 
them  well,  as  the  careful  and  skilful  gardener  tends  and  ripens  his 
precious  plants  in  the  hot-house. 

What  a  glorious  change  for  the  better,  my  dear  reader,  has  come 
over  this  Federal  Union  of  ours  in  our  own  day !  Well  did  the  Jubilee 
Minstrels  sing  before  the  royal  family  of  England,  "No  more  Auction 
Blocks  for  Me!"  For  at  the  present  day,  instead  of  auction  blocks 
and  wronged  and  oppressed  slaves  being  conveyed  (in  a  fugitive  way, 
under  cover  of  the  darkness  of  the  night)  from  their  pens  to  the  ships. 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  221 

wailing  and  lamenting  their  sad  fate,  in  the  self-same  city  of  Baltimore, 
at  the  present  time  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  of  children,  and 
men  and  women,  -wend  their  peaceful  way  to  Sunday-school  and 
church,  walking  the  streets  of  the  city  in  love  and  peace,  on  their  pil 
grimage  to  Jerusalem,  the  city  of  the  Great  King.  And  yet  if  anybody 
had  told  the  slave-holder  only  fifty  years  ago  that  his  darling  "peculiar 
institution"  was  on  its  last  legs,  he  would  probably  there  and  then 
have  caused  us  to  be  lynched  for  our  rashness  of  speech !  As  I  have 
mentioned  already  in  this  book,  preachers  in  the  South  in  those  days 
had  even  the  audacity  to  preach  sermons  in  the  defence  of  slavery, 
and  they  were  so  bold  as  to  select  for  their  text:  "This"  (meaning 
slavery)  "is  the  Lord's  doings ;  and  it  is  wonderful  in  our  eyes."  Very 
wonderful,  indeed,  I  should  say.  And  the  war  for  the  extinction  of 
slavery  was  the  Lord's  doing,  too,  I  suppose !  And  it  also  was  won 
derful  in  our  eyes,  indeed!  If  those  miserable  slave-traders  were  to 
rise  from  their  graves  to-day ;  were  to  hear  colored  minstrels  singing 
in  the  courts  of  Europe,  "No  More  Auction  Blocks  for  Me !"  and  then 
were  to  see  millions  of  colored  children,  youths  and  maidens  wending 
their  way  to  the  happy  Sunday-schools  on  the  day  of  rest — even  they 
also  would  be  compelled  to  admire  the  great  changes  for  the  better, 
and  to  exclaim  in  a  different  sense,"Truly  these  are  the  Lord's  doings, 
and  they  are  wonderful  in  our  eyes !" 

It  has  always  been  a  matter  of  personal  interest  and  importance  for 
men  to  take  a  hand  in  voting  and  the  ruling  of  their  native  State.  Uni 
versal  history  shows  us  plainly  that  this  has  always  been  the  case, 
unless,  indeed,  the  nation  was  a  monarchy,  and  therefore  subject  to  the 
unlimited  will  and  pleasure  of  one  man  as  despot  in  chief,  and  those 
who  served  under  him,  and  did  as  they  were  commanded.  But  in  those 
lands  where  freedom  ruled  in  the  days  of  old,  and  all  countries  to-day 
where  constitutional  government  prevails,  men  have  always  voted  in 
one  form  or  another,  and  they  still  lend  a  hand  at  elections,  and  this 
without  regard  to  race,  color  or  any  such  thing.  Neither  has  there  ever 
been  any  friction  or  trouble  in  legislative  assemblies,  and  there  is  none 
now  in  foreign  nations,  where  men  of  different  races,  colors,  and  even 
creeds,  take  their  seats  side  by  side,  and  proceed  to  work  together  for 
the  good  of  all  the  citizens.  We  all  know  how  it  was  in  the  South  in 
the  early  years  of  Reconstruction  after  the  close  of  the  war,  when  the 


222  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN   NKCJJIO. 

State  legislatures  were  composed  of  white  and  colored  men,  who  ruled 
the  States  together.  We  thought  at  the  time  that  this  thing  would  go 
on  and  that  all  parties  had  settled  down  in  peace  and  harmony,  for 
every  man  to  vote  as  he  pleased,  and  to  send  such  men,  black  or  white, 
to  represent  them  in  their  legislatures,  as  were  returned  by  the  largest 
number  of  voters  at  the  elections,  conducted  according  to  the  consti- 
tuition  of  the  nation.  But  the  white  man  of  the  South  had  almost  always 
been  accustomed  to  his  own  selfish,  despotic  way  and  sway  in  the 
days  of  slavery.  The  South  had  not  only  the  rule  of  colored  men,  but 
even  over  white  men  in  the  halls  of  Congress !  Unless  that  section  of 
the  Union  could  have  her  own  dictatorial  way  there  was  no  peace 
whatever  in  the  House ! 

The  North  therefore  felt  herself  often  obliged  to  give  way,  which 
encouraged  the  South  to  take  a  mile  the  next  time  when  we  gave  her 
an  ell. 

I  have  shown  the  reader  of  these  pages  how  the  Ku-Klux-Klan 
arose ;  how  the  new  shot-gun  policy  brought  the  Republican  govern 
ments  of  Secessia  to  an  end,  and  how  the  very  amendments  to  the 
Constitution,  including  the  bare  privilege  of  casting  one's  own  vote, 
were  all  brought  to  an  end — nay,  more  than  that — the  reader  knows 
by  this  time  how  an  immense  number -of  colored  men,  women  and 
children  tore  up  stakes,  and  left  the  States  of  the  South  where  they 
were  born,  and  sought  new  homes  in  Northern  and  Western  States, 
where  the  shot-gun  policy  of  the  late  rebels  did  not  prevail ! 

But  where  are  representatives  in  Congress  to-day,  and  where  are 
the  colored  Senators  and  others  in  the  legislative  halls  of  the  Southern 
States  ?  For  the  present  they  nave  been  wiped  out,  and  so  far  Uncle 
Sam  has  given  way,  and  backed  down  once  more  to  the  violent  South 
for  the  sake  of  keeping  peace  in  the  house.  It  may  be  argued  that 
coming  but  recently  out  of  slavery,  as  we  did,  we  were  unfitted  for 
the  full  privilege  of  freemen  and  voters.  Perhaps  there  is  some  reason 
in  that  view  of  the  question.  As  a  nation  we  certainly  could  not  be 
expected  to  be  college-bred  in  1865.  But  that  is  over  thirty  years 
ago*,  and  both  we  ourselves  and  our  children  have  been  to  almost  all 
the  schools,  seminaries  and  colleges  in  the  land  since  then.  If  we  were 
ignorant  in  1865,  sure  we  cannot  as  a  race  be  called  igno 
rant  now.  In  my  own  opinion,  I  think  it  is  about  time  that 


HISTOKICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  223 

the  last  three  amendments  to  the  Constitution  were  now  carried  out 
to  the  fullest  extent,  and  that  we  should  be  no  longer  contented  merely 
to  vote  for  the  white  man,  but  vote  for  colored  men,  too,  who  run  for 
office. 

As  the  South  has  been  so  violent  over  the  matter  of  ruling  her  own 
States  to  the  exclusion  of  the  colored  man,  the  grand  hue  and  cry 
among  some  of  our  own  people  has  been  raised,  "Let  politics  alone, 
and  attend  to  your  own  business,  and  let  the  white  man  rule !"  So 
far  as  I  can  see  there  is  neither  sense  nor  justice  in  such  a  cry  as  that. 
If  the  white  man  has  a  right  to  vote,  so  has  the  colored  man.  To  stuff 
the  ballot-boxes  with  manufactured  votes,  or  to  throw  out  those  that 
colored  men  have  voted,  is  simply  breaking  the  law,  and  the  central 
government  should  punish  it  as  such.  If  an  ambitious  young  colored 
man  desires  to  represent  his  country  in  the  field  of  politics,  it  stands 
neither  in  law  nor  reason  for  any  white  man  to  presume  to  stop  him. 
If  he  be  a  man  of  great  talent,  like  Frederick  Douglass,  or  John  M. 
Langston,  or  Blanche  K.  Bruce,  that  is  just  so  much  more  the  reason 
why  he  should  go  to  Congress,  or  represent  his  own  country  and  State 
at  home.  The  colored  man  must  receive  every  fair  play  at  the  elec 
tions  :  his  vote  must  not  be  tampered  with  any  more  than  the  white 
man's  vote.  By  all  means  let  him  have  his  vote,  for  he  will  never  be 
satisfied  with  anything  less.  Let  every  infringement  of  the  law  be 
pushed  to  the  utmost  extent ;  let  a  few  examples  be  made,  and  tam 
pering  with  other  men's  votes  will  come  to  an  end.  For  the  very  life 
of  me  I  can  see  no  reason  why  colored  men  should  abstain  from  poli 
tics  any  more  than  white  men.  There  is  no  reason  why  they  should 
do  so  if  they  wish  to  enter  into  political  life.  We  can  also  attend  to 
other  business  at  home,  like  the  rest  of  the  population.  To  discharge 
our  duties  at  the  polls,  indeed,  is  one  of  the  very  first  duties  of  every 
citizen,  and  we  have  a  perfect  right  to  vote  under  the  law  of  the  land. 

Every  now  and  then  some  surviving  rebel  in  South  Carolina,  or 
some  other  of  the  late  seceded  States,  takes  upon  himself  to  raise  the 
old  parrot-cry,  "This  is  a  white  man's  government!  Colored  men 
shall  not  rule  with  us !"  If  the  national  government  did  its  full  duty, 
it  would  arrest  such  a  man  as  this  for  trying  to  teach  the  rising  gener 
ation  falsehoods,  and  for  disturbing  the  minds  of  the  lieges.  This  is 
not  a  white  man's  country,  nor  a  black  man's  country,  nor  a  red  man's 


224  HISTOK1CAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

country — but  it  belongs  to  all  alike.  We  have  only  to  go  back  four 
hundred  years,  when  this  country  belonged  to  the  Indians,  and  if  it  be 
longs  by  right  to  anybody  at  all,  it  belongs  to  them.  But  Spaniards, 
Frenchmen,  Englishmen  and  others  came  over  the  sea,  they  murdered 
or  drove  back  the  Indians,  and  stole  away  their  lands.  Then  the  self 
same  Europeans  went  to  Africa,  and  killed  and  kidnapped  the  nations, 
and  by  physical  force  brought  our  ancestors  here — and  here  we  are  at 
the  present  day.  The  war  of  revolution  came ;  the  colonists  secured 
their  own  freedom,  but  they  did  not  set  their  own  slaves  free.  They 
complained  that  they  were  in  subjection  under  the  king  of  England, 
but  they  winked  at  the  thraldom  of  our  ancestors,  and  left  us  to  languish 
in  chains  and  slavery  till  the  Lord  sent  the  Civil  War,  and  made  us  all 
free,  while  the  three  amendments  to  the  Constitution  put  us  on  the  self 
same  footing  with  white  citizens,  and  here  we  are  in  our  own  country, 
part  and  parcel  of  the  entire  American  population.  This  country, 
then,  either  belongs  to  the  Lord  from  heaven,  or  it  is  the  property  of 
the  North  American  Indian,  or  else  it  has  become,  in  some  way  or 
other,  the  property  of  the  whole  of  us.  We  had  better  not  examine 
into  our  rights  too  closely,  for  we  cannot  go  back  more  than  four 
hundred  years  to  establish  our  claims,  and  four  hundred  years  will  not 
go  for  much,  especially  with  the  owner — the  Lord  of  Heaven. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

A  General  Review  of  the  Writer's  Entire  Life  and  Work,  and  an  Op 
timistic  View  of  the  Whole  Subject,  With  Reflections  and  Obser 
vations  and  Forecasts  of  the  Near  Future. 

When  I  left  the  place  where  I  was  born,  in  the  year  1855,  and 
made  my  lucky  escape  to  a  land  of  freedom,  in  company  with  my  fian 
cee,  Thomas  Lincoln,  I  had  no  idea  whatever  of  the  future  that  lay 
before  us,  and  of  all  the  pleasant  ways  by  which  the  Lord  would  lead 
us.  It  was  well  for  both  my  darling  Tom  and  me  that  we  were  the 
children  of  religious  mothers,  who  taught  us  from  our  earliest  infancy 
to  love  the  Lord  at  all  times,  and  to  put  our  entire  trust  and  confi 
dence  in  Him.  Tom  and  I  had  been  accustomed  to  a  delightful  home 
at  Riverside  Hall,  on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio,  and  we  knew  nothing 
about  the  evils  of  slavery,  like  millions  of  others. 

In  the  midst  of  such  pleasant  surroundings  ion  the  banks  of  the 
"Beautiful  River,"  it  seemed  easy  enough  for  us  at  the  time  to  love 
the  Lord  and  put  our  trust  in  Him ;  but  whilst  the  great  Creator  was 
working  out  his  sure  decrees,  we  considered  ourselves  perfectly  justi 
fied  in  taking  the  law  into  our  own  hands,  and  whereas  we  could  not 
get  our  rights  by  fair  means,  to  take  them  by  foul.  It  has  been  well 
fcr  Tom  and  me  that  we  acted  as  we  did;  and  the  blessings  thus 
vouchsafed  to  us  in  that  way  have  descended  to  our  dear  children  in  a 
full  state  of  freedom.  But  while  we  had  little  risks  to  run  compared 
to  many  refugees,  there  were  millions  left  behind  us  who  could  not  get 
along.  For  what  could  frail  and  feeble  women  do  surrounded  as  they 
were  by  every  device  and  scheme  that  slavery  and  Satan  could  invent 
to  keep  their  hold  on  what  they  presumptuously  called  their  "prop 
erty?"  Thus  our  distressed  brothers  and  sisters  were  obliged  to  wait 
for  the  coming  of  the  Lord,  and  the  wisest  among  them  knew  that 
His  coming  could  not  be  long  delayed,  because  the  signs  of  the  times 
pointed  to  a  speedy  deliverance,  and  a  child  could  almost  hear  the 
loud  and  heavy  rumblings  in  the  heavens. 

But,  my  dear  reader,  the  "Lord  works  in  mysterious  ways  His 


226  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

wonders  to  perform."  We  fondly  expected  and  hoped  to  see  freedom 
in  our  own  day — "some  sweet  day" — but  our  minds  were  little  pre 
pared  for  its  coming  so  soon.  We  heard  the  rumblings  of  the  storm, 
indeed,  but  there  had  been  other  storms  before,  and  they  had  blown 
•over,  and  why  should  not  this  one  go  the  same  as  they?  That  is  the 
waV  that  we  poor,  limited,  erring  human  beings  are  likely  to  go  aside 
.and  miss  the  mark.  We  judged  of  the  rising  storm  of  1860  that  it 
would  be  like  those  that  had  gone  before  it,  but  there  was  not  a  single 
being  on  the  face  of  the  earth  whoi  ever  dreamed  that  we  were  at  last 
drifting  into  a  mighty  war,  that  was  to  continue  for  over  four  years, 
and  would  sweep  away  slavery  and  all  its  belongings,  as  the  mighty 
tides  of  the  ocean  wash  away  the  foot-prints  on  the  sands.  It  became 
clear  as  time  and  war  went  on,  that  the  Almighty  Ruler  of  the  Uni 
verse  had  risen  up  to  strike  the  earth,  and  that  He  would  not  smite  a 
second  blow,  but  finish  things  up  now.  He  says  in  His  sacred  word 
that  He  will  hear  our  prayers ;  our  oppressed  people  had  been  crying 
to  Him  for  many  years,  "How  long,  O  Lord,  how  long!"  The  prayers 
of  the  distressed,  their  tears  and  cries,  had  been  heard ;  they  had  all 
been  duly  chronicled  in  heaven ;  the  day  for  settlement  with  the  slave 
holders  had  now  fully  come,  and  one  of  those  mighty  changes  that 
have  followed  each  other  these  last  forty  years  with  such  rapidity  was 
now  at  the  door.  Like  the  prompt  railroad  train,  or,  better  still,  the 
tide  of  the  sea,  the  Lord  of  Heaven  and  Earth  was  ready,  and  armed 
from  head  to  foot ;  freedom  was  at  the  door,  indeed  and  in  truth,  and 
the  doors  must  be  opened  that  captives  should  go  free! 

"What  hath  not  God  wrought?"  Those  more  than  four  decisive 
years,  so  heavy  with  fate  and  destiny,  looked  long,  very  long,  in  pass 
ing,  but  ah !  they  brought  changes  to  the  entire  colored  race,  both  col 
lectively  and  individually ;  and  as  slavery  had  grown  more  and  more 
even  down  to  the  very  year  when  the  war  began,  so  was  the  joy  all 
the  greater  when  it  was  all  over,  and  bright  shining  freedom  came  sud 
denly  at  last.  There  was  joy  and  rejoicing  all  over  the  United  States 
at  the  result ;  dancing  and  singing  from  the  Potomac  to  the  Rio  Grande 
ir  particular.  So  much  for  the  whole  race  taken  collectively.  To  us 
individually  as  a  family,  that  mighty  upheaval,  the  war,  brought  great 
and  varied  experiences — both  sorrows  and  joy.  When  the  first  rush 
o*  wild  enthusiasm  against  the  rebellion  was  over,  we  all  found  out  that 


DICKENS  OLD  CURIOSITY  SHOP. 


TOWER  OF  LONDON. 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  227 

we  had  to  settle  down  .to  hard  work,  and  four  full  years  of  war  and 
fighting  were  before  us.  Thus  the  children  and  I  saw  Tom  leave  for 
the  seat  of  war,  and  after  many  a  hard-fought  field,  Tom  was  wounded 
so  badly  that  he  lay  for  a  long  time  at  New  Orleans.  We  had  done 
an  immense  quantity  of  correspondence  by  this  time,  but  more  changes 
wrought  through  and  by  the  war  were  at  hand.  The  whole  American 
nation  was  undergoing  changes,  and  so  were  we !  The  children  and  I 
longed  with  all  our  hearts  to  see  husband  and  father  once  moire.  He 
was  not  yet  well  enough  to  travel  to  Buffalo ;  indeed,  the  military  au 
thorities  forbade  it,  and  so  we  three  determined  to  tear  up  stakes  at 
Buffalo  for  a  time,  and  make  a  sudden  and  unexpected  march  on  the 
city  of  New  Orleans.  This  was  not  my  first  visit  to  the  Crescent  City  of 
the  Sunny  So'uth.  As  my  dear  reader  is  already  well  aware,  I  went  there 
about  the  year  1856,  and  rescued  my  dear  mother  from  slavery,  which 
I  consider  one  of  the  very  best  things  that  ever  I  did  in  this  world! 
This  journey  to  New  Orleans  was  a  most  glorious  experience,  for 
the  girls  in  particular,  and  they  are  even  talking  of  it  now.  When  we 
were  in  the  Lower  Mississippi,  we  had  a  good  time  to  look  about  us 
and  see  what  a  mighty  work  the  sword  of  the  North  had  already  done 
for  that  section  of  the  Union.  The  colored  people  were  all  free,  and 
thousands  were  flocking  to  schools  just  newly  set  up,  and  learning 
as  people  had  never  learned  before.  The  rebels,  and  all  those  that  sym 
pathized  with  them,  used  to  say  that  if  the  slaves  were  set  free,  they 
would  turn  in  and  massacre  their  former  owners,  and  become  regular 
heathens  and  savages.  This  was,  of  course,  nothing  but  a  silly  par 
rot-cry  that  nobody  seriously  believed,  as  no  colored  man  had  any 
other  intention  than  to  become  a  peaceable  citizen.  But  during  our 
delightful  residence  in  the  Sunny  South  we  saw  those  who  had  been 
slaves  in  that  section  all  working  away  upon  the  lands,  and  in  the 
towns  and  cities,  in  perfect  freedom,  and  their  lives  were  both  orderly 
and  exemplary.  But  what  surprised  us  most  was  to  see  them  going 
to  work  with  first  readers,  spelling  books,  slates  and  pencils,  and  all 
the  other  appliances  of  education,  and  gathering  knowledge  like  the 
sands  of  the  sea.  This,  indeed,  augured  well  for  the  future — to  see 
people  even  seventy  and  eighty  years  of  age  learning  to  read,  write 
and  figure  like  the  rest!  Here  was  a  field  of  bright  promise  for  the 
near  future.  Here  was  a  race  of  people,  just  set  free,  grasping  at  the 


228  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

lowermost  round  of  the  ladder  of  education,  and  ambitious  to  mount 
higher  every  day. 

Behold,  indeed,  the  mighty  changes  that  the  Lord  has  brought 
about  in  this  dear  land  of  ours !  We  have  already  lived  long  enough 
not  only  to  see  all  the  captives  set  free,  but  a  second  generation,  fifty 
per  cent,  of  whom  are  armed,  from  head  to  foot,  so  to  speak,  with  edu 
cation.  We  have  already  brilliant  men  and  women  competent  to  shine 
like  stars,  in  all  the  different  walks  and  departments  of  life,  which  my 
two  girls  and  I  saw  such  abundant  promise  when  we  went  to  Louisi 
ana.  In  due  course  of  time  Tom  was  pronounced  completely  cured, 
was  discharged  from  the  hospital,  and  our  two  precious  children 
and  we  took  our  homeward  journey  by  way  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  the 
city  of  Havana,  in  Cuba,  West  Indies  and  the  Atlantic  Ocean  to  New 
York,  after  which  we  took  the  train  for  Buffalo,  where  we  all  arrived 
safe  and  sound  in  due  time,  and  had  such  a  welcome  home  as  is  still 
green  in  our  memories.  This  sea  voyage  and  land  journey  were  de 
lightful  experiences  in  the  young  lives  of  our  two  daughters,  and  show 
ed  them  what  a  great,  varied,  and  beautiful  world  the  great  Creator  had 
made.  We  thanked  Him  with  full  and  grateful  hearts  for  having  laid 
our  lines  in  such  pleasant  places,  and  giving  us  this  sweet  home  of 
ours  at  Buffalo,  where  we  have  resided  in  peace,  pleasure  and  plenty, 
Lo !  these  many  years !  and  we  are  at  Buffalo,  still.  It  is  a  great  com 
fort  to  our  hearts  and  minds  to  think  that  the  entire  colored  race  are 
no  longer  compelled  to  reside,  to  dwell,  and  sleep  where  they  are 
bidden,  as  in  the  bad  old  times  of  slavery ;  but  that  here  again  a  mighty 
change  for  the  better  has  come  over  all  our  people,  inasmuch  as  many 
of  them  nowadays  have  comfortable  and  pleasant  homes  of  their  own, 
where  beautiful  furniture  and  musical  instruments  can  be  seen — yesr 
even  fine  pianos,  along  which  the  supple  fingers  of  the  rising  generation 
can  fly  with  the  best!  I  bless  and  praise  the  goodness  of  the  Lord  for 
all  these  changes  for  the  better.  Instead  of  operating  on  the  fiddle  and 
the  banjo,  our  clever  musical  sons  and  daughters  can  sing  lovely  ac 
companiments  to  the  piano  and  the  organ.  The  race  is  full  of  music. 
and  their  fame  has  reached  the  ends  of  the  earth.  Our  churches  and 
other  institutions  have  a  great  name  for  sacred  music  and  song,  and  I 
have  heard  good  judges  among  the  white  population  declare  that  there 
are  no  such  singers  as  the  colored  race  in  the  United  States.  We  may 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  229 

at  .least  congratulate  ourselves  that  the  entire  press  of  the  United 
States  and  the  British  Isles  have  completely  endorsed  the  above  senti 
ments  of  my  own,  and  therefore  I  do  not  think  that  any  conscientious 
man  will  dispute  them.  It  is  an  old  and  a  true  saying  that  variety  is 
the  spice  of  life,  and  the  beauties  of  the  different  races  of  people  appear 
to  the  greatest  advantage  where  their  separate  traits  of  character  most 
differ  from  one  another.  Music  and  song,  indeed,  are  quite  a  dis 
tinguished  feature  in  the  colored  race,  and  there  again  we  have  seen 
mighty  changes  wrought  out  through  and  by  our  freedom,  and  again 
I  thank  the  goodness  of  the  Lord  for  even  such  changes  as  these. 

And  yet  we  are  only  at  the  beginning  of  our  improvements,  asso 
ciated  as  we  also  are  with  the  white  race  of  the  United  States — one  of 
the  most  talented  and  ingenious  peoples  that  the  world  has  ever  seen! 
It  is  well  for  us  in  a  way  that  we  are  so  associated,  because  our  pro 
gress  in  these  past  years,  and  at  the  present  time,  is  all  the  greater  on 
that  account.  And  yet  when  we  consider  that  it  is  only  yesterday,  as 
it  were,  that  all  our  people  were  set  free,  that  our  unbroken  progress 
is  still  going  on  along  the  whole  line,  and  that  our  progress  will  con 
tinue  to  be  more  marked  in  the  future  as  the  years  gone  by,  who  can 
tell  to  what  glorious  heights  of  elevation  our  people  shall  attain,  even 
within  the  next  twenty  or  twenty-five  years?  Because  in  our  own 
day  and  generation,  all  the  arts  and  sciences  seem  to  be  coming  to 
the  front ;  learning,  education  and  inventions  are  farther  and  farther 
advanced  day  by  day,  and  every  kind  of  improvement  grows  and  flour 
ishes  like  the  green  bay-tree.  Progress  indeed  must  be  made ;  things 
will  not  go  backwards,  but  must  go  forward,  onward  and  upward. 
Such  is  the  inevitable  fate  of  the  colored  race.  With  so  very  much 
accomplished  already ;  with  fifty  per  cent,  of  our  entire  people  through 
out  the  whole  Union  who  can  read  and  write  and  work  arithmetic,  we 
may  well  wonder  at  the  advancement  still  in  store  for  our  race,  when 
education  shall  cover  the  whole  land,  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea ; 
when  the  remaining  fifty  per  cent.,  who  are  still  destitute  of  education, 
are  brought  into  the  fold,  as  it  were,  and  an  ignorant  colored  man  or 
woman  will  be  difficult  to  find  in  our  nation. 

The  unparalleled  progress  that  we  have  made  reminds  me  of  the 
progress  of  a  great  river.  Take  for  example  the  Mississippi.  How 
small  it  is  when  it  issues  from  Lake  Itasca,  away  up  at  its  headwaters 


230  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

in  Minnesota.  It  is  of  truth  very  small  indeed,  when  it  begins  its  jour 
ney  to  the  sea.  But  the  river  advances  boldly  upon  its  long  way,  and 
keeps  on  and  on,  and  still  on,  while  every  now  and  then  a  branch 
comes  flowing  in,  now  on  the  right  hand,  now  on  the  left,  sometimes 
nothing  but  a  small  rivulet,  then  a  large  and  swelling  stream.  Thus 
the  Mississippi  still  keeps  advancing  on  mile  after  mile  on  its  journey, 
till  the  great  Ohio  swells  its  waters,  and  then  the  greater  Missouri 
comes  rolling  down  from  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  now  the  Miss 
issippi  is  growing  large,  indeed — yes,  very  large.  And  here  comes  the 
Arkansas  and  the  Red  River,  with  many  smaller  streams  from  the  east, 
and  thus  the  mighty  Mississippi,  that  began  so  small  in  Lake  Itasca, 
has  now  reached  the  Crescent  City,  and  whole  fleets  of  ships  can  float 
upon  its  bosom  before  its  great  and  swelling  waters  reach  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico.  And  thus  it  is  with  the  advancement  that  has  already  been 
made  by  the  colored  race  along  the  whole  line.  We  began,  indeed, 
very  small  in  the  year  1865,  when  the  war  closed,  and  the  appliances 
of  education  and  improvement  were  put  into  our  hands.  But  here  is 
the  year  1902,  and,  like  the  Mississippi  river,  we  have  advanced  far, 
very  far  upon  our  way ;  and  yet  we  have  by  no  means  attained  the 
goal  of  our  expectations,  by  any  means,  but  great  changes  are  under 
way,  and  we  are  still  advancing. 

Many  travelers  have  left  it  on  record  how  they  turned  round  upon 
the  ever-ascending  mountain  way  to  mark  progress,  and  see  how  far 
they  had  come.  Then  with  fresh  resolution  they  again  turned  their 
faces  to  the  road  that  still  lay  before  and  above  them,  and  that  with  re 
newed  interest  and  courage.  I  don't  know  how  it  may  be  with  any 
body  else,  but  as  I  am  now  about  sixty  years  of  age,  I  am  at  times 
given  to  look  back,  and  to  muse  not  only  over  all  the  way  the  Lord 
(has  led  me,  but  also  how  He  has  led  the  entire  race  in  my  own  days. 
The  rising  generation  knows  little  of  the  thoughts  and  feelings,  and  the 
sufferings  of  their  fathers  and  mothers  on  their  way  to  freedom,  and 
the  present  happy  condition  of  things.  But  I  am  like  that  mountain 
traveller  of  whom  I  have  just  spoken,  and  I  sit  at  times  and  muse  and 
muse  upon  the  tremendous  excitement  all  over  the  North  on  the 
slavery  question,  and  how  the  Abolitionists  demanded  freedom,  and 
the  South  would  not  listen  to  any  such  thing.  Then  my  mind  runs 
back  to  Fred.  Douglass,  Henry  Ward  Beecher,  and  all  those  heroes 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  231 

and  heroines  who  fought  the  good  cause  of  liberty,  and  were  faithful 
unto  the  end.  We  were  in  for  a  great  and  stirring  time. 

Little  does  the  present  generation  know  of  the  times  we  went 
through  in  the  years  immediately  before  the  war,  when  I  used  to 
travel  over  the  States  of  the  North,  assisting  in  the  lecturing  and  agi 
tation  against  slavery.  It  is  a  very  great  gratification  to  me  nowadays 
to  look  back  and  think  of  all  the  wonders  of  that  most  wonderful  and 
lengthened  campaign  when  William  Lloyd  Garrison,  and  all  the  other 
''big  guns"  were  thundering  away,  and  the  discharge  of  their  mighty 
artillery  shook  all  the  land,  even  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico !  I  am  not  so 
strong  and  supple  in  body  now  as  I  was  in  those  glorious,  halcyon 
days ;  but  I  praise  and  bless  the  Lord  that  I  was  then  endowed  with 
health,  and  strength,  and  vigorous  life  to  lay  on  the  axe  of  liberty, 
and  to  help  bring  down  that  foul  and  deadly  upas  tree  called  "Slavery," 
that  was  the  curse  of  the  whole  land — the  public  disgrace  of  the 
United  States.  Since  then  I  have  contributed  many  articles  to  the 
papers  and  magazines  of  the  day  to  help  my  own  people  to  rise  up  and 
start  upon  their  feet ;  but  there  is  nothing  that  I  ever  did  that  left  so 
much  pleasure  upon  my  memory  as  the  campaign  wherein  I  played, 
sang  and  lectured  against  slavery  in  the  South.  Well,  to  be  sure, 
how  the  surging  crowds  did  come !  It  was  a  wonderful  time  that  we 
had.  The  excitement  was  also  most  exhilarating.  But  above  all, 
those  mighty  changes  were  on  the  road,  that  we  see  around  us  to-day. 
The  Lord  has  done  great  things  for  us  already,  and  still  we  can  say 
that  there  is  a  good  time  earning! 

Upon  the  whole  my  life  has  been  a  happy  one — at  least,  as  happy 
as  could  be  expected  in  this  shady  world  of  ours,  where  ever-changing 
clouds  and  sunshine  chase  each  other  all  through  our  pilgrim  journey 
to  our  home  in  heaven.  I  have  tried  to  make  the  best  of  things,  and  to 
consign  myself  to  the  Lord's  will  as  nearly  as  my  infirmities  will  let 
me.  Mercy  and  goodness  have  followed  me  all  the  days  of  my  life,  and 
I  have  been  most  abundantly  blessed  by  the  Lord  above  all  that  I 
could  either  ask  or  think.  My  dear  reader  will  no  doubt  think  that  I 
am  in  a  very  contemplative  frame  of  mind  at  the  present  time,  thus 
looking  back  and  musing  upon  the  active  years  of  my  past  life.  No 
doubt  the  greater  part  of  life's  long  day  has  gone  by,  and  the  evening 


232  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OP  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

and  night  are  coming  on.  But  in  my  time  I  have  learned  to  trust  in 
God,  to  lay  hold  upon  eternal  life,  to  keep  hope  alive  in  my  heart  for 
all  times  for  myself  and  all  my  people,  not  only  my  immediate  family, 
but  the  entire  colored  race. 

I  am  therefore  able  to  look  forward  with  calmness,  and  even  joy. 
to  the  time  when  the  great  Lord  will  take  me  home  to  Himself.  But 
still,  as  the  evening  and  shadows  of  life  are  coming  on,  I  will  converse 
with  my  own  family  and  friends  upon  the  stirring  events  of  the  past 
years,  and  keep  musing  upon  them,  also.  If  variety  is  the  spice  of  life, 
I  am  sure  I  have  had  plenty  of  it  for  my  own  part.  I  can  never  com 
plain  of  the  want  of  variety.  And  it  has  been  a  downright  blessing  to 
me,  too ;  for  it  has  added  to  my  knowledge  and  blessing  in  every  way. 
My  travels  and  varied  experiences  have  brought  me  into  contact  with 
strange  and  interesting  peoples,  and  countless  individuals,  worth  far 
more  than  their  weight  in  gold.  My  many  delightful  journeys  to  the 
dearly  beloved  friends  in  Canada,  and  their  return  visits  to  me,  have 
been  like  glorious  rainbows  that  spanned  the  heavens  of  my  happiness 
on  earth.  Then  there  is  the  permanent  love  and  friendship  of  the 
many  brave  and  true  hearts  that  have  thrown  light  and  pleasure  upon 
my  path  all  along  the  line — good  and  faithful  friends  who  assisted  in 
pulling  down  the  powers  of  slavery,  and  who  now  rejoice,  in  common 
with  myself,  that  the  mighty  work  was  done  at  last,  and  that  all  our 
grand  destiny  is  still  before  us.  Thank  God  for  this  splendid  prospect 
before  us !  It  has  been  the  joy  of  my  life  to  see  the  improvements  in 
troduced  into  the  American  Constitution  in  our  favor,  and  the  celebra 
tion  of  the  Fifteenth  Amendment  all  over  the  land,  including  the  one 
we  took  a  part  in  at  Louisville,  Kentucky,  was  a  series  of  brilliant 
events  that  can  never  be  forgotten. 

As  I  am  by  nature  a  great  lover  of  the  ocean,  I  have  made  two 
voyages  from  New  Orleans  to  New  York,  and  have  even  crossed  the 
great  Atlantic,  and  visited  the  British  Isles  upon  the  happy  occasion 
when  my  daughters  were  married.  But  above  all  things,  I  have  had  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  the  entire  colored  race  set  free ;  have  seen  them 
make  incredible  advances  in  every  walk  and  department  of  life,  and 
the  promise  is  held  out  that  they  will  still  go  on  in  the  path  of  pro- 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEviRO.  233 

gress.    We  must  still  trust  in  God  and  ourselves,  and  march  forward ! 
And   now,  my    dear   reader,  wishing   for  you   all  that    is   good, 
health  and  prosperity,  I  am 

Yours  most  sincerely, 

BEULAH  LINCOLN. 


FINIS. 


6cn.    -interne  'Mnccc 


THE  AMERICAN-SPANISH  WAR. 


Indulgent  reader,  I  had  grown  accustomed  to  think  that  I  should 
now  live  and  die,  and  never  see  any  more  war,  either  foreign  or  do 
mestic,  on  the  part  of  the  United  States.  All  things  were  running 
smoothly  on  the  part  of  our  nation,  and  there  hardly  appeared  the 
most  distant  cloud  in  our  peaceful-looking  skies.  But,  as  Robert 
Burns,  the  famous  Scotch  poet,  most  truthfully  says,  "The  best-laid 
schemes  of  mice  and  men  gang  aft  aglee,  and  leave  us  nought  but 
grief  and  pain  for  promised  joy."  In  the  month  of  February,  1895, 
the  oppressed  and  robbed  people  of  Cuba  once  more  raised  the  stand 
ard  of  rebellion  against  Spain,  and  entered  upon  another  struggle  with 
the  mother  country.  The  tyrant  Spain  had  broken  all  the  promises  she 
had  made  at  the  close  of  the  Ten  Years'  Cuban  War,  in  1878,  and  thus 
it  came  to  pass,  after  an  useless  truce  of  seventeen  years,  that  the 
Cuban  leaders  o>nce  more  decided  to  raise  the  standard  of  rebellion 
against  the  tyrant,  considering  it  better  to  die  in  a  war  for  freedom 
than  to  sit  down  any  longer  in  a  state  of  endless,  oppression. 

As  our  own  nation  had  had  a  fearful  war  with  England,  in  the 
days  of  George  Washington — a  war  that  lasted  over  seven  years — all 
citizens  of  the  United  States  felt  a  great  deal  of  sympathy  for  the 
Cuban  leaders,  and  for  all  the  Cuban  people — "a  people  who  now  de 
voted  their  lives  unto  death  on  the  high  places  of  the  field" — and  my 
self,  my  own  family,  and  all  my  beloved  race,  felt  very,  very  deeply 
for  them. 

And  not  only  did  the  people  of  the  United  States,  but  all  lovers  of 
freedom  throughout  the  world  felt  the  greatest  sympathy  for  the 
Cubans.  Thus  long,  weary  months  came  and  went,  and  poor,  proud, 
decrepit  old  Spain,  in  her  antiquated  way,  continued  to  borrow  many 
millions  of  money  at  home  and  abroad,  till  at  last  "Pobre  Espagna" 
(poor  Spain)  was  hardly  able  to  pay  the  mere  interest  upon  the  money 
she  had  borrowed,  let  alone  the  principal.  The  patriotic  Cubans  fought 
long,  well  and  nobly ;  so  did  the  Spaniards,  but  no  real  advantage  was 


236  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGUO. 

ever  gained  upon  either  side,  because  the  Cubans  had  neither  seaport 
nor  fleet,  and  were  never  able  to  get  the  Spaniards  out  of  their  ancient 
and  powerful  fortifications,  whilst  the  Spaniards  were  never  able  to 
beat  the  Cubans  off  the  field,  get  them  out  of  their  strongholds  among 
the  mountains,  and  their  inaccessible  retreats  amidst  their  grand,  pri 
meval  forests. 

The  Cubans  of  the  United  States,  assisted  by  many  of  our  own 
people,  gathered  money,  and  loaded  filibustering  vessels  that  ran  the 
feeble  Spanish  blockade  off  the  island,  and  safely  landed  an  untold 
number  of  cargoes  of  arms  and  ammunition  for  the  struggling  patriots, 
while  our  own  national  feeling  against  Spain  still  increased  as  the  days 
went  by.  It  is  very  true  that  the  Government  of  the  United  States  did 
all  that  it  was  able  to  preserve  neutrality,  and  to  keep  the  peace  with 
Spain — nay,  more  than  that — we  were  at  last  obliged  even  to  police 
the  seas  around  the  Southern  States  to  prevent  those  blockade-runners 
from  slipping  away  from  our  parts  with  their  loads  of  arms  and  ammu 
nition  for  that  devoted  island,  and  we  were  hardly  able  to  stop  them 
when  we  had  done  our  best.  Thus  we  were  put  to  endless  trouble  to 
watch  the  seas  for  a  foreign  and  cruel  country,  and  that  country  was 
always  laying  complaints  at  our  doors  because  we  could  watch  no 
better ! 

When  Campos  was  Captain-General  of  Cuba,  the  war  for  inde 
pendence  in  that  unhappy  island  was  conducted  with  some  regard  to 
decency  and  civilized  ways ;  but  the  Spanish  arms  made  no  progress, 
and  the  mother  country  sent  over  the  cruel  General  Weyler,  usually 
called  'The  Butcher,"  and  gave  him  a  free  hand  in  putting  down  the 
islanders  in  any  way  he  saw  fit.  The  mind  of  this  bad  man  seems  to 
have  been  imbued  with  all  the  old  Spanish  cruelties  of  the  dark  ages, 
and  all  that  tiger-like  love  for  cruelty  and  bloodshed  for  which  Spain 
and  the  Spaniards  have  always  been  so  notorious.  The  readers  of  the 
public  press  are  no  doubt  well  aware  already  of  the  treacherous  acts, 
cruelties  and  medieval  deeds  of  barbarism  to  which  that  monster  and 
his  soldiers  resorted  for  the  purpose  of  suppressing  the  Cuban  rebel 
lion.  The  worst  of  them  all  was  his  gathering  the  country  people  into 
seacoast  towns  and  cities — mainly  women,  children  and  old  men — 
where  they  subsequently  died  by  tens  of  thousands ;  and  thus  the  poor, 
oppressed  Cuban  nation  was  weakened  at  last  to  the  number  of  at  least 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

200,000,  if  not  more ;  and  by  such  cold-blooded  deeds,  and  others  on  a 
smaller  scale,  quite  as  cruel,  did  that  black-hearted  Spanish  butcher 
wear  down  the  population  of  Cuba.  He  made  war  upon  nature,  and 
shocked  the  moral  sense  of  the  whole  world.  And  yet,  this  Weyler 
had  the  entire  approval  of  the  mother  country  while  he  thus  caused 
the  non-combatant  part  of  the  Cubans  to  perish,  when  they  had  the 
unblushing  impudence  to  carry  on  the  barbarities  of  the  dark  ages  all 
over  the  Island  of  Cuba,  and  right  before  our  front  door!  The  false 
and  wilfully-lying  messages  that  even  this  butcher  sent  home  to  Spain 
from  day  to  day  about  victories  that  he  had  gained  over  the  insurgents 
were  usually  contradicted  by  the  American,  and  other  foreign  presses 
next  day.  Weyler  excelled  in  nothing  but  writing  false  dispatchesr 
while  the  hatred  against  him  increased,  both  in  Congress,  and  all  over 
the  United  States.  So  great,  indeed,  was  the  outcry  against  the  Span^ 
iards,  that  the  proud  and  scornful  Dons  kept  sending  more  and  more 
soldiers  over  the  Atlantic,  to  give  us  to  understand  by  that,  that  if  v 
Americans  dared  to  interfere  between  her  and  what  she  called  "The 
Ever-Faithful  Isle,"  she  would  there  fight  Uncle  Sam  to  the  death, 
and  never  surrender  Cuba ! 

Captain-General  Weyler's  want  of  success,  his  cruelties  and  count 
less  false  reports  were  at  last  so  revolting  to  the  feelings  of  Uncle  Sam 
that  Spain  decided  to  withdraw  her  faithful  butcher,  and  send  another 
Captain-General  over,  and  his  name  was  General  Blanco.  He  was  ad 
monished  to  bring  the  Cuban  leaders  and  the  Cubans  to  terms  by 
wiles,  bribes  and  flattery ;  but  the  patriotic  Cubans  refused  to  swallow 
any  such  baits,  and  war  went  on  the  same  as  before — all  our  trade  with 
Cuba  being  now  destroyed,  almost  the  whole  island  being  reduced  to 
the  condition  of  a  wilderness,  while  the  silence  of  the  grave  seemed 
supreme  everywhere.  Spain  continued  to  make  more  and  more  fresh 
promises  from  month  to  month,  both  to  ourselves  and  to  the  Cubans 
— promises  made  in  deceit  and  craft,  which  she  never  meant  to 
fulfill. 

It  is  calculated  that  at  one  time  there  were  two  hundred  thousand 
Spanish  soldiers  in  Cuba,  when  the  Cuban  troops  became  so  numer 
ous  that  they  even  threatened  Havana,  and  whipped  the  Spanish  out 
posts  in  the  suburbs  of  the  stronghold.  Affairs  at  last  became  so  un 
safe  and  threatening  for  the  numerous  American  colonists  in  Havana, 


238  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMEKK'AN   XK(iKO. 

and  throughout  Cuba,  that  the  United  States  battleship  "Maine"  was 
sent  to  the  island,  by  way  of  protection,  and  she  was  duly  anchored  by 
the  direction  of  the  port  authorities,  in  a  certain  specified  position  with 
in  the  harbor  of  Havana. 

Alas,  alas !  we  little  knew  what  we  were  doing !  And 
yet,  for  the  very  life  of  me,  1  cannot  but  see  that  the  hand  of  Provi 
dence  was  in  some  way  or  other  connected  with  the  anchoring  of  the 
Maine  in  the  harbor  of  Havana.  It  is  true  that  we  might  at  some  time 
or  other  have  interfered  in  the  Island,  and  there  put  an  end  to  the 
medieval  and  murderous  practices  of  "Old  Spain,"  carried  on  at  our 
front  door  here  in  the  end  of  the  nineteenth  century ;  but  war,  in  its 
best  state,  is  a  serious  business,  and  Spain  might  have  succeeded  for 
a  long  time  in  gulling  us  with  fair-faced  promises  she  never  meant  to 
fulfill.  In  the  pride  of  her  heart  she  regarded  the  poor  Cuban  patriots 
as  nothing  but  a  gang  of  rebels,  who,  had  they  laid  down  their  arms 
at  her  request,  would  have  been  treated  as  so  many  footballs — as  de 
serving  less  consideration  than  mere  dogs  and  cats.  Thus  it  appears 
to  me  very  doubtful  whether  we  would  have  embarked  upon,  a  war 
with  that  proud,  haughty  and  impoverished  nation,  that  loves  to  talk 
of  her  former  grandeur,  four  hundred  years  ago.  But  the  Spaniards 
viewed  the  coming  of  the  Maine  to  Havana  with  hatred  and  disgust. 
Whispers  in  high  places  in  the  Cuban  capital  declared  that  she  should 
be  destroyed,  and  so  in  fact  she  was,  for  on  Tuesday  night,  the  I5th  of 
February,  1898,  the  Spaniards  blew  her  up  with  torpedoes  planted  un 
derneath  her  in  the  water. 

This  destruction  of  a  splendid  American  battleship,  with  the  ac 
companying  loss  of  266  lives,  brought  much  comfort  and  joy  to  the 
cruel  Spanish  heart ;  for  the  head  gentlemen  of  Spain  at  Havana  were 
known  to  laugh  and  be  jolly,  and  to  drink  champagne  wine  over  the 
destruction  of  our  devoted  vessel !  But  with  us  it  was  otherwise.  We 
were  overwhelmed  with  the  most  profound  sorrow  and  grief.  Every 
man,  woman  and  child  in  all  Uncle  Sam's  far-spreading  Union  was 
bowed  down  under  this  sudden  blow  that  supplied  so  much  comfort 
to  the  heart  of  the  Spaniard.  He  looked  upon  us  as  his  enemy  because 
of  our  own  sympathy  for  the  Cubans ;  and  so  that  ship  was  another 
"enemy"  out  of  his  way.  His  mirth  did  not  prevent  our  national 
grief  over  the  sudden  murder  of  our  266  men,  and  the  loss  of  the  poor 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  239 

ship,  so  we  sat  down  and  cried  real,  sincere  tears,  while  the  naval  com 
mission  were  in  session  at  Key  West  over  the  cause  of  the  destruction 
of  the  unfortunate  vessel.  The  finding  of  the  court  of  inquiry  was  that 
the  vessel  was  not  blown  up  from  within  (as  the  Spaniards  pretended), 
but  was  blown  up  from  without,  and  that  by  the  hands  of  the  Span 
iards,  and  done  on  purpose  by  them. 

Then  we  wiped  our  tears  away,  and  every  man,  woman  and  un 
derstanding  child,  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  and  from  the  Lakes 
to  the  Gulf,  arose  and  took  an  oath  that  that  cruel  and  bloody  nation 
cf  Spaniards,  should  leave  this  hemisphere,  bag  and  baggage,  and  that 
we  should  make  them!  Then  the  shout,  "Remember  the  Maine!" 
was  heard  all  over  the  land.  Congress  demanded  Spain's  withdrawal 
from  American  waters ;  or  else  that  war  should  be  levied  on  her  forth 
with.  Now  did  the  regent  mother  country  send  letters  to  all  the  mag 
nates  of  Europe,  begging  them  to  intercede,  and  make  peace  between 
the  Americans  and  Spaniards.  But  from  all  quarters  came  the  same 
reply,  "You  and  the  Americans  help  yourselves ;  this  is  not  our  war. 
Hold  the  Ever-faithful  Isle — if  you  are  able !" 

While  the  war  clouds  were  gathering  the  Spaniards  still  ran  around 
Europe,  praying  and  screeching  for  help.  Uncle  Sam  went  swiftly  to 
work  laid  down  fifty  million  dollars  instantly,  and  quickly  bought  up 
a  number  of  newly-built  and  powerful  men-of-war  from  foreign  na 
tions — bought  and  hired  swift  and  powerful  merchant  vessels,  and 
swiftly  clad  them  round  their  sides  and  all  over  their  decks  with  steel- 
mail,  so  that  they  might  boldly  plough  the  waves,  and  do  as  useful  ser 
vice  as  the  very  best  of  iron-clads  of  effete  Old  Spain.  Uncle  Sam 
made  two  swift  calls  for  troops,  and  almost  every  white  and  colored 
man  replied,  "We  come,  we  come !"  So  terrible,  indeed,  was  the  im 
pression  produced  by  the  loss  of  our  poor  ship,  and  the  murder  of  266 
men  at  Havana,  that  almost  every  colored  and  white  man  in  this  na 
tion  seemed  even  to  sigh  and  thirst  to  go  and  fight  with  Spain ! 
Women  by  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  offered  themselves  as 
nurses,  and  to  be  used  in  any  way  that  the  Government  pleased.  Our 
colored  men,  once  slaves,  or  the  children  of  slaves,  but  now  loyal  free 
men,  came  forward  almost  to  a  man,  and  with  quite  as  much  patriotism 
as  their  white  brethren,  at  least,  offered  themselves  as  ready,  quite 
ready  to  march  to  the  war.  Uncle  Sam's  great  difficulty  lay  in  his  hav- 


240  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

ing  too  many  offers  on  his  hands,  so  he  picked  and  chose,  and  did  his 
best.  The  fleet,  of  course,  encountered  a  little  more  difficulty  in  filling 
up ;  but  the  flower  of  our  youth — even  the  sons  of  millionaires  among 
the  rest — came  trooping  on  in  thousands,  and  our  fleet  was  manned 
splendidly.  Men  were  sent  South  by  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  ; 
the  trains  carried  them  down  every  day,  accompanied  with  immense 
loads  of  ammunition,  -and  all  the  appliances  of  war.  Our  new  and  old 
war  vessels  were  gathered  about  Key  West,  etc.,  and  others  were  placed 
near  our  great  harbors,  which  harbors  were  defended  by  torpedoes  and 
other  means  of  offense  and  defense.  By  this  time  our  demand  upon 
Spain  to  get  out  of  the  West  Indies  had  been  received  by  the  proud 
Dons,  and  had  been  refused  by  them,  as  we  expected.  So  we  moved 
on  with  the  war,  and  our  own  four  regiments  of  regular  colored  United 
States  troops,  the  Ninth  and  Tenth  Cavalry,  and  the  Twenty-fourth 
and  Twenty-fifth  Infantry,  which  had  been  brought  from  the  far  West 
to  Chickamauga  Park,  were  brought  down  to  Key  West,  in  order  to  be 
at  hand  to  sail  over  to  Cuba  along  with  their  white  brothers  when  the 
"Ever-Faithful  Isle — Fair  Cuba,  the  Queen  of  the  Antilles,"  should  be 
invaded  by  all  the  boys  in  blue. 

I  am  not  aware  that  even  the  most  rabid  misanthrope  in  the  United 
States  believed  in  his  heart  that  there  was  one  colored  man  who  was 
not  willing  to  go  to  the  war,  and  also  able  to  do  yeoman  service  in 
knocking  down  the  Spaniards,  if  he  were  allowed  to  get  at  them.  It 
is  true  that  charges  were  made  against  some  of  us,  but  charges  were 
also  made  in  the  same  way  against  the  whites.  It  is  true  that  some  of 
our  men  made  their  marching  to  war  conditional  on  their  now  having 
their  own  colored  officers ;  but  that  demand  was  right,  and  they  only 
asked  their  own. 

Our  hereditary  enemies  are  not  all  dead  by  any  means,  yet!  Either 
they  are  less  formidable,  or  we  ourselves  are  growing  more  independ 
ent.  The  small  pettifogging  journalist  tried  to  make  the  usual  capital 
out  of  our  men  holding  out  for  his  most  undoubted  rights,  for  what 
would  a  white  regiment,  indeed,  think,  if  the  law  was  that  none  but  col 
ored  officers  should  be  placed  over  white  men?  And  yet,  that  was  the 
very  thing  that  certain  men — white  men — in  our  nation  demanded, 
namely,  that  none  but  white  officers  should  be  placed  in  command  of 
colored  soldiers ! 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  241 

It  is  very  true  there  were  a  few  colored  officers  in  the  ranks, 
and  colored  chaplains ;  but,  like  angels'  visits,  they  were  few  and  far 
between.  But  the  Spanish  war  was  on,  and  colored  men  had  to  go  or 
stay.  Some  demanded  officers  of  their  own  race,  seeing  they  were 
competent  to  fill  such  positions  as  the  whitest  of  men.  It  was  only 
the  dregs  of  slavery  in  the  bottom  of  the  cup  that  were  left.  It  was 
only  the  difference  between  a  dark  skin  and  a  light  one,  don't  you 
know.  Well,  quite  a  number  of  the  governors  granted  the  colored 
regiments  their  petitions ;  gave  them  all  the  officers  of  their  own  race, 
from  Colonel  down,  and  it  has  been  proven  that  they  have  acted  and 
succeeded  as  well  as  white  officers  could  ever  have  possibly  done. 
Other  governors  hesitated  about  granting  their  just  demands,  and 
claimed  that  white  officers  ought  to  be  placed  over  colored  men. 

But,  as  I  said  before,  the  war  was  now  under  way,  and  as  too 
much  time  could  not  be  lost  in  wrangling  in  this  unseemly  manner 
over  a  matter,  after  all,  no  greater  than  the  color  of  the  skin,  our 
brave  fellows  in  some  of  the  States  said  they  were  willing  to  give 
way,  and  go  and  fight  the  Spaniards  under  command  of  white  officers. 
In  some  States  there  was  no  dispute.  It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  col 
ored  men  have  often  been  greatly  attached  to  their  white  officers,  and 
in  like  manner,  these  officers  have  been  greatly  attached  to  their  own 
soldiers,  and  thus  they  have  got  along  harmoniously  together  at  all 
times.  At  the  same  time,  this  knotty  point  has  been  settled  once  for 
all  in  many  a  State,  and  the  men — colored  men,  I  mean — have  been 
allowed  to  have  the  officers  of  their  own  choice.  No  doubt  the  time 
will  come  when  all  these  "trumpery  distinctions"  will  be  done  away! 
The  dregs  of  slavery  washed  out  of  the  cup  !  The  time  will  come  in  the 
United  States  when  white  men  will  be  led  by  colored  officers,  and  col 
ored  men  will  be  led  by  white  officers.  Life  is  really  too  short  for  such 
foolishness  as  squabbling  over  small  trifles  like  these.  One  thing  I 
know,  the  Bible  tells  us  that  God  has  made  of  one  blood  all  the  races 
that  dwell  upon  earth. 

The  readings  in  the  public  papers  about  the  enthusiasm  of  col 
ored  men  for  the  war  against  the  Spaniards  was  most  refreshing, 
Taken  as  a  whole,  white  men  of  every  walk  in  life,  awarded  them  the 
very  highest  possible  praise  for  their  love  of  drilling — for  their  great 
willingness  to  be  drilled,  and  for  the  great  progress  they  made  in 


242  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

drilling.  Some  of  them,  indeed,  seemed  to  be  drilling  both  in  season 
and  out  of  season,  because  even  after  their  officers  had  given  them  all 
their  needful  drilling  for  the  passing  day,  they  would  themselves  get 
together  and  drill  themselves  for  a  whole  hour,  or  for  an  hour  and  a 
half  at  a  time.  I  must  not  forget  a  most  unusually  lively  letter  I  saw 
irom  Key  West  at  the  time  that  our  four  regiments  of  regulars  (United 
States)  were  lying  there  in  readiness  to  sail  over  to  Cuba.  This  letter 
stated  that  they  were  regiments  of  grand  men ;  tall,  powerful,  splendid 
fellows ;  full  of  life,  humor  and  enthusiasm,  and  that  they  looked  as  if 
they  would  be  able  to  lick  three  or  four  Spaniards  apiece !  No  doubt 
our  glorious  fellows  were  far  more  than  a  match  for  the  Spaniards, 
Avho  only  weighed  about  130  pounds  apiece,  stood  five  feet,  six  inches 
in  height,  and  few  of  them  seem  able  to  shoot  straight ;  while  our 
men  stand  six  feet,  are  powerful,  and  can  hit  the  mark  almost  every 
time. 

Thus  time  passed  on,  while  the  entire  colored  race  all  over  the 
land  took  the  deepest  interest  in  the  war,  calling  upon  the  war  de 
partment,  or  sending  to  the  President,  whenever  there  was  occasion 
for  the  same.  A  Conference  of  the  Zion  A.  M.  E.  Church,  at  the 
commencement  of  the  war,  sat  in  Baltimore,  at  which  time  a  notice  was 
sent  forth  throughout  the  nation  that  ten  new  cadets,  for  some  mili 
tary  reason  or  other,  were  to  be  brought  forward.  The  Conference  here 
stepped  forward,  and  did  the  right  thing.  They  drew  up  a  most  re 
spectful  and  patriotic  address  upon  the  subject  to  the  President,  and 
asked  that  three  cadets  out  of  those  ten  should  be  men  of  color.  The 
address  was  then  sealed  up,  and  sent  to  McKinley.  At  Baltimore, 
also,  under  the  leadership  of  Dr.  Bryant,  a  regiment  of  colored  men 
was  organized  and  drilled  in  good  earnest.  At  first  mariy  of  these 
young  volunteers  were  awkward  enough,  but  we  are  all  awkward  in 
the  beginning.  So  they  persevered,  and  in  the  course  of  time  became 
quite  proficient ;  and  I  have  no  doubt,  had  the  war  lasted,  and  they  had 
gone  to  the  front,  and  met  the  Spaniards  in  the  open  field,  that  they 
would  have  whipped  them  hip  and  thigh,  as  other  colored  troops  did 
later  on.  The  spirit  of  all  our  people  was  most  excellent ;  we  were 
determined  to  see  ourselves  righted,  and  there  were  none  but  a  few  old 
soreheads  that  stood  in  our  way. 

While  we  are  getting  ready  to  give  the  Dons  a  proper  knock- 


COLOTIED   SOLDIEKS  AND  MUSICIANS  SP ANISH- AMERICAN,  JVAR. 

-  i •  "     • 


HISTOim'.YL  ROMANCE  OP  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  243 

down  on  his  own  ground,  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  notice  the  most  un 
usual  display  of  American  flags — the  "Stars  and  Stripes" — that  was 
made  here  all  over  our  beautiful  city  of  Buffalo,  where  we  still  reside. 
At  first  we  thought  that  "The  Queen  City  of  the  Lakes,"  as  our  city 
is  called,  was  simply  ultra-patriotic,  and  wanted  to  be  ahead  of  all  our 
neighbors,  but  soon  all  eyes  were  opened  wide  at  our  grand  mistake, 
for  we  learned  that  there  was  hardly  a  city,  town,  village  or  hamlet  in 
the  Union  where  the  self-same  grand  array  of  "Star-Spangled  Ban 
ners"  did  not  obtain.  It  was  flags,  flags,  flags,  from  one  end  of  the 
nation  to  the  other — nothing  but  flags !  I  think  I  am  safe  in  saying 
that  in  any  moderate-sized  city  of  the  Union  there  were  ten  thousand 
flags  flying  at  least.  And  these  national  emblems  of  faith,  loyalty  and 
love  were  all  sizes,  from  the  smallest  to  the  largest.  And  not  alone  up 
on  the  broad  street  did  the  banners  fly,  but  in  all  the  smaller  streets 
and  alleys — away  up  the  narrow  and  crooked  alleys,  where  the  poorer 
families  of  both  races  were  found,  these  self-same  beautiful  banners 
fluttered  to  the  breeze,  and  plainly  said,  "We  are  here  in  defense  of  our 
native  country !  No  more  oppressive  Dons  for  us !  Freedom  for 
Cuba,  and  for  all  the  world.  Tis  the  Star-Spangled  Banner,  O  Long 
May  it  Wave!" 

But  the  national  feeling  was  exhibited  in  thousands  of  other  ways 
besides  the  flags  in  the  open  streets.  Great  meetings  were  held  all 
over  the  land;  sermons  were  preached,  and  public  prayers  ascended 
to  the  Throne  of  Grace  for  the  speedy  triumph  of  oiur  armies  over  the 
oppressive  Spaniards.  The  very  envelopes  that  went  through  the 
Postoffice  were  stamped  with  miniature  flags,  and  pictures  of  the!- 
Maine  were  hung  up  in  almost  every  house.  No  doubt  many  an  ingen 
ious  man  cleared  a  good,  round  sum  by  a  newly-brought-out  device 
that  was  cast  upon  the  public,  and  eagerly  bought  up  by  almost  every 
body.  An  immense  quantity  of  patriotic  poetry  was  also  written,  and 
scattered  broadcast  to  all  the  four  winds  of  heaven ;  and  it  was  read 
and  quoted  with  most  unbounded  enthusiasm.  Music  came  in  now 
for  its  full  share.  All  the  patriotic  songs  we  had  were  sung  and 
played  in  public  and  private  to  their  own  well-known  tunes.  The  Star- 
Spangled  Banner,  indeed,  "took  the  cake,"  and  seemed  to  be  every 
where  floating  in  the  air.  Even  "John  Bull,"  our  true  and  faithful 


244  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

friend  across  the  seas,  fell  into  line  with  us,  and  he  placed  the  Star- 
Spangled  Banner  from  one  end  of  the  British  Isles  to  the  other. 
"Mother  England,"  indeed,  was  most  loyal  to  us,  even  before  we  struck 
a  blow  at  the  Spaniards,  for  she  set  down  her  foot  against  privateering 
on  the  high  seas,  and  Spain  submitted  to  her  against  her  own  will ! 


CHAPTER  II. 

The  Brave  Exploits  of  our  Colored  Regiments  Around  Santiago  de, 
Cuba — Their  Rescue  of  the  Rough  Riders — The  Wounded  in  the 
Hospitals — Regiments  That  Never  Went  to  War — Great  Flag" 
Presentations  at  New  Orleans — The  Colored  Chaplains — The 
Killed,  Wounded  and  Sick  of  the  War — Coming  Home  and  Dis 
banding,  Etc. — The  Glorious  Results  of  the  War — Colored  Men 
Did  Their  Duty — Glory  to  God  in  the  Highest ! 

The  reader  will  naturally  expect  an  account  of  marching  and 
countermarching,  pitched  battles,  skirmishing,  and  all  kinds  of  military 
operations,  such  as  I  have  already  described  in  the  war  of  i86i-'65. 
And  the  reader  is  justified  in  such  expectations ;  but  this  American- 
Spanish  War  was  one  of  the  very  shortest  conflicts  ever  recorded  in 
history,  for  the  whole  affair  was  over  in  less  than  four  months,  having 
begun  towards  the  end  of  April,  and  concluded  on  the  I2th  of  August, 
1898.  The  readers  of  my  own  people  will  now  ask  if  there  was  no  op 
portunity  given  us  whereby  we  might  show  our  prowess  upon  the 
battlefield,  like  our  Anglo-Saxon  brothers.  Well,  yes,  we  had  oppor 
tunities  given  us  to  show  of  what  kind  of  material  we  were  made,  and 
I  believe  that  all  the  generals,  officers  and  soldiers  in  the  army  awarded 
us  the  most  unstinted  praise  for  what  we  did,  and  they  did  it  with  a 
most  hearty  good  will. 

The  heaviest  fighting  by  land  was  done  around  the  city  of  Santi 
ago  de  Cuba,  the  second  city  of  the  island,  and  the  old  Spanish  capital 
of  the  same.  Santiago  (which  means  "St.  James,"  in  Spanish)  was 
very  strongly  fortified,  and  pfetty  well  defended  by  the  ancient  and 
modern  methods  of  an  old  nation  going  down  in  the  world.  On  ac 
count  of  the  great  danger  of  assaulting  a  city  built  upon  hills,  and  thus 
strongly  defended  by  nature  and  art,  Uncle  Sam  wisely  decided  to  send 
his  veteran  troops  there — not  merely  the  pick  and  cream  of  the  volun 
teers — but  first  of  all,  the  old,  well-seasoned  regulars  of  the  American 
standing  army,  of  which  there  were  four  regiments  of  colored  men, 
that  is  to  say,  the  Ninth  and  Tenth  Cavalry,  and  the  Twenty-fourth 


246  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

and  Twenty-fifth  Infantry.  Among  the  first  that  went  to  Santiago  in 
General  Shatter's  expedition  were  those  four  regiments — brave,  pow 
erful,  well-built  fellows,  big,  brawny  men,  who  could  knock  Spaniards 
over  like  ninepins,  and  smite,  them  hip  and  thigh  like  the  heroes  of  old. 
In  the  different  engagements  that  took  place  while  the  enemy  was  be 
ing  driven  into  his  beleaguered  city,  and  was  being  pushed  back,  back 
farther  and  farther,  into  the  fortifications  of  Santiago,  these  colored 
regiments  did  splendid  service,  laying  on  with  might  and  main,  and 
making  their  enemy  flee  before  them  into  his  last  retreat.  Our  troops 
were  usually  mixed  up  with  the  whites  in  the  days  in  the  end  of  June, 
and  the  beginning  of  July,  and  thus  the  history  of  the  one  is  the  his 
tory  of  the  other. 

Seeing,  therefore,  that  they  had  been  so  well  trained  as  regulars, 
we  need  net  wonder  that  they  acquitted  themselves  so  well  in  the  pre 
liminary  assault,  that  occurred  before  preparations  were  made  for  the 
final  advance  on  the  doomed  city.  That  part  of  the  operations  of  our 
men  that  caused  most  noise  to  be  made  in  the  newspapers  and  else 
where  took  place  when  Colonel  Roosevelt  and  his  Rough  Riders  ad 
vanced  up  one  of  the  hills  that  was  overgrown  with  dense  brushwood, 
where  the  Spaniards  had  dug  trenches  along  the  face  of  the  hill,  and 
had  run  powerful  wire  fences  along  the  front  of  those  trenches, 
from  which  they  fired  upon  the  Americans  as  they  came  up  the  hillside. 
The  Rough  Riders  had  a  hard  time  of  it  as  they  advanced  in  the  face 
of  the  showers  pf  balls  that  were  poured  down  upon  them.  Little  pro 
gress  did  they  make,  although  they  lay  down  again  and  again  to  let 
those  leaden  showers  pass  over  their  devoted  heads.  Colonel  Roose 
velt  had  a  horse  killed  under  him,  jumped  off  the  animal  before  it  car 
ried  him  under  as  it  fell,  and  advanced  up  the  hill  in  advance  of  all 
his  men,  shouting  to  them  to  come  on.  Well,  of  course,  the  men  did 
come  on ;  but  some  were  killed  here,  and  others  were  wounded  there ; 
while  as  for  the  Spaniards,  they  went  down  like  grass  before  the  scythe. 
As  a  general  thing  they  were  bad  shots — as  might  be  expected  of  a  dy 
ing  nation  still  bragging  of  the  deeds  of  their  ancestors  four  hundred 
years  back ;  and  they  themselves  swollen  with  ignorance  and  pride,  too 
haughty  to  be  taught  better  ways !  Thus  the  Rough  Riders  gravely 
struggled  up  the  hillside,  cutting  the  wire  fences  as  they  went,  clearing 
the  retreating  Spaniards  out  of  the  rifle-pits  (or  trenches,  rather),  lying 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  247 

down  and  advancing  again  and  again  as  best  they  could.     It  was  evi 
dent  that  they  must  suffer  great  losses,  or  might  even  fail  altogether. 

At  this  very  crisis  the  Ninth  and  Tenth  Cavalry,  or  United  States 
colored  troops,  were  ordered  forward  to  the  rescue  of  their  dismounted 
brothers,  and  so  dismounted,  they  advanced  up  the  hill-side,  laughing 
and  hurrahing  with  as  much  trained  ease,  and  as  cheerfully  as  if  they 
had  been  upon  their  old  parade  grounds  in  the  far  West!  Success 
against  the  enemy  was  'now  assured.  Our  brave,  well-seasoned  veter 
ans  from  the  West  fired,  advanced,  lay  down,  chatted  and  laughed 
with  their  white  brothers,  as  they  lay  upon  the  ground,  partly  hidden 
among  the  brushwood,  tall  grasses  and  bushes  of  the  Cuban  jungle ; 
and  thus  the  day  there  was  saved,  and  the  white  men  were  saved  by 
the  Ninth  and  Tenth  Cavalry,  just  in  the  self-same  way  as  white  and 
black  had  often  saved  one  another  during  the  Civil  War  in  the  sixties. 
The  wire  fences  were  cut,  the  trenches  were  cleared  of  their  occupants, 
the  hill-top  was  gained,  the  Spaniards  were  set  upon  the  run  down  the 
hill,  on  the  'Other  side,  and  now  our  men  could  see  their  enemies,  and 
have  a  straight  shot  at  them  as  they  ran  down  the  open,  in  full  retreat 
and  rapid  flight.  Our  own  trained  heroes  followed  fast  after  them, 
dropping  on  one  knee  every  now  and  then,  to  get  a  steadier  aim  at  the 
fleeing  Spaniards  and  thus  they  fell  at  a  rapid  rate  before  our  guns. 

While  it  is  true  that  there  was  no  desire  among  our  own  men  to 
be  vain  of  their  achievements  when  they  had  thus  timely  assisted  in 
saving  and  winning  the  field,  still,  the  wild  and  hearty  cheers  that  were 
there  and  then  given  to  the  black  soldiers  by  their  white  comrades  were 
very  encouraging,  indeed,  to  the  hearts  of  the  former.  Many  of  the 
letters  sent  home  and  published  in  the  papers  were  quite  unstinted  in 
their  praise,  and  showed  how  the  white  men  shouted  their  loudest  huz 
zas  to  the  colored  men,  swung  their  arms  and  caps  in  the  air,  and  made 
other  demonstrations  of  mutual  good  will  and  delight.  Most  of  the 
Republican  papers,  and  even  some  of  the  Democratic  and  others  wrote 
editorials  and  other  shorter  and  well-pointed  paragraphs,  too  numerous 
for  me  either  to  mention  or  extract.  With  the  exception  of  the  sore 
heads  and  those  whose  stubborn  natures  love  to  hide  all  such  promising 
things  and  keep  them  from  public  favor,  there  were  none  who  failed 
to  do  us  that  justice  to  which  we  were  entitled. 

As  for  the  Twenty-fourth  and  Twenty-fifth  Colored  Infantry,  they 


248  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

lent  a  hand  in  the  different  actions  that  were  fought  around  Santiago, 
and  are  well  spoken  of  by  one  and  all  whose  duty,  love  or  pleasure  it 
was  to  record  the  details  of  the  fighting  that  took  place  in  the  environ 
ments  of  Santiago  de  Cuba. 

But  what  shall  we  say  of  all  those  many  regiments  of  colored  men 
who  were  raised  in  many  different  States,  and  drilled  and  put  in  a  state 
of  readiness  to  march  forward  to  the  war,  and  assist  in  knocking  down 
the  tottering  powers  of  old  and  bigoted  Spain?  Did  those  men  do 
nothing  for  their  country,  after  all  their  drillings  and  other  mighty 
preparations  for  the  purpose  of  going  to  the  field  ?  What  was  the  use 
cf  Camp  This,  or  Camp  That,  or  Camp  the  Other  Place  to  them? 
Either  for  good  luck,  or  bad  luck,  as  it  turned  out,  all  those  camps 
were  of  no  use  at  all  to  them.  And  it  was  just  the  same  with  the  white 
volunteers  and  their  camps.  All,  indeed,  were  drilled,  and  lay  to  be 
called  away  at  any  moment — all  were  in  perfect  readiness  to  go,  and 
even  very  greatly  desired  to  go ;  but  few  went,  for  their  services  were 
not  required,  as  the  war  came  to  an  end  on  the  I2th  of  August,  because 
"Old  Spain"  was  fast  going  to  the  wall,  as  the  Bible  says  of  the  wicked, 
"I  will  laugh  at  your  calamity,  and  mock  when  your  fear  cometh." 
In  fact,  most  that  had  been  done  in  the  war  so  far  had  been  done  upon 
the  sea.  Dewey  and  Schley  had  sunk  Spain's  best  war  ships,  which 
circumstance  placed  the  Spanish  peninusla  entirely  at  our  mercy.  Then 
she  was  bankrupt  and  inferior  to  the  United  States  in  every  way.  We 
had  lost  264  men  in  the  war,  who  were  killed  outright ;  but  how  many 
thousands  Spain  lost,  she  is  probably  too  proud  ever  to  let  us  know. 
She  probably  lost  at  least  fifty  to  our  one. 

A  great  deal  has  been  written  about  the  hospitals  in  and  around 
Santiago,  and  the  conduct  and  sufferings  of  the  patients  who  were 
treated  there.  It  has  been  universally  stated  of  the  colored  men  who 
were  treated  for  wounds  that  they  were  most  exemplary  and  patient  in 
every  way,  and  even  ready  and  willing  to  give  way  in  favor  of  those 
white  soldiers  who  lay  side  by  side  with  them,  waiting  to  be  treated  by 
the  doctors  on  hand.  It  is  really  touching  to  read  in  the  public  papers 
how  our  own  men  insisted  on  their  unfortunate  suffering  neighbors 
being  treated  first,  and  that  they  themselves  would  wait.  "He  is  worse 
than  I  am,  I  can  wait !" — and — "He  is  shot  through  the  body,  while  I 
am  only  wounded  in  the  arms ;  save  him  first !"  This  is  the  very  es- 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  249 

•sence  of  all  generosity.  This,  indeed,  is  the  most  tender-hearted  mercy 
and  Christianity.  If  there  is  any  bravery  and  nobility  of  character  upon 
earth,  this,  indeed,  is  it.  And  the  white  Americans  in  the  hospital  were 
quite  as  generous  as  the  colored  men — to  both  their  colored  and  white 
companions,  according  to  the  direct  testimony  and  eye  witness  of  for 
eign  and  domestic  correspondents  right  there  and  then  on  the  ground. 
There  was  no  color  line  even  dreamed  of  in  the  fields  and  hospitals  of 
Santiago.  It  is  only  in  the  day  of  health  and  pride  that  people  can  af- 
fcrd  to  draw  that  line.  But  in  the  day  of  distress,  and  when  death  is 
hovering  over  us,  then  all  that  kind  of  foolishness  is  driven  far  away, 
and  we  only  know  that  God  has  made  of  one  blood  all  the  nations 
upon  earth. 

It  is  quite  refreshing  to  look  back  even  now,  and  think  upon  the 
grand  times  we  had  when  flags  were  raised  on  our  houses,  or  flags 
were  presented  to  regiments  of  volunteers  getting  ready  to  go  to  fight 
the  Spaniards.  I  here  select  from  the  Southwestern  Christian  Advo 
cate,  of  New  Orleans,  an  organ  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  the  following 
vivid  description  of  the  presentation  of  a  flag  to  colored  troops  at  New 
Orleans  : 

A  GLORIOUS  DAY  AND  A  GREAT  CROWD. 

On  Wednesday  of  last  week,  July  2oth,  there  took  place  in  this 
city,  the  most  patriotic  demonstration  that  it  has  ever  been  my  privi 
lege  to  witness.  It  was  the  occasion  of  the  formal  presentation  of  the 
regimenal  flag,  the  national  colors,  and  a  Red  Cross  flag  to  the  Ninth 
Infantry  Regiment  of  United  States  Volunteers,  by  the  Afro-American 
citizens  of  New  Orleans.  Fully  ten  thousand  people  took  part  in  what 
has  been  said  to  be  the  most  enthusiastic  gathering  around  the  Nation's 
flag  that  has  ever  assembled  in  the  Crescent  City  for  years,  if  ever 
before.  Political  parties  and  denominational  antagonisms  were  lost 
sight  of  in  the  fixed  purpose  to  do  honor  to  our  boys  in  blue.  It  was 
thrilling,  inspiring,  to  see  a  thousand  black  soldiers  standing  in  line 
before  the  grandstand,  with  eyes  to  the  front,  and  ears  attentive  to 
the  words  of  the  speakers. 

The  committee  on  programme  had  done  their  work  well  in  select 
ing  such  an  array  of  talent  for  the  occasion.  The  Hon.  J.  Madison 


250  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OP  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

Vance,  was  master  of  ceremonies.  The  grace  and  dignity  with  which 
he  conducted  the  exercises  were  worthy  of  the  occasion. 

Rev.  W.  R.  Butler,  pastor  of  the  First  Street  M.  E.  Church,  led  in 
a  fervent  and  earnest  prayer  for  the  protection  of  our  boys,  and  the 
success  -of  our  army.  Rev.  Dr.  Scott,  the  editor  of  The  Southwestern 
Christian  Advocate,  was  the  orator  of  the  day.  His  speech  was  schol 
arly,  burning  with  eloquence,  and  full  of  patriotism,  and  words  of 
advice  for  the  black  boys  in  blue.  Again  and  again  he  was  interrupted 
by  the  wildest  applause  by  the  vast  concourse  of  people. 

I  am  sorry  that  space  forbids  the  giving  of  the  whole  address.  I 
simply  give  this.  He  said :  "We  shall  always  look  to  you  as  our  regi 
ment,  our  boys.  We  are  glad  to  see  you  here ;  glad  to  have  you  re 
spond  so  readily  to  your  country's  call ;  glad  you  had  the  opportunity 
to  do  so.  We  present  this  flag,  hoping  it  will  ever  signify  to  you  the 
interest  we  feel  in  you,  and  impress  you  with  your  responsibility  to 
your  country  and  your  race.  We  are  a  part  of  a  great  nation,  and  there 
are  many  reasons  why  we  should  be  patriotic  and  true.  The  strength 
of  a  nation  is  largely  measured  by  its  patriotism.  If  the  citizens  of  a 
country  are  devoted  to  the  highest  and  best  interests  of  that  country 
there  is  little  cause  to  fear.  Patriotism  enlists  armies  and  develops 
martyrs." 

The  flag  was  presented  by  Dr.  L.  H.  Reynolds,  editor  ''The 
African  Methodist,"  published  in  this  city.  Dr.  Reynolds  is  gifted  as  a 
speaker,  and  the  thrilling  occasion  warmed  his  heart.  His  words,  pa 
triotic  and  weighty,  stirred  the  entire  assembly,  which  cheered  him 
to  the  echo. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  address,  Air.  Vance  introduced  Major 
Armand  Remain,  "as  a  remarkable  son,  from  one  of  the  best  homes 
of  the  South,"  who  received  the  beautiful  and  costly  flag  with  well- 
chosen  words.  As  the  flag  was  unfolded,  the  cheering  was  deafening. 
The  officers  and  soldiers  joined  with  the  people  in  cheering  the  colors 
ot  the  Ninth  Regiment.  This  flag  was  purchased  by  a  committee  of 
ladies  and  gentlemen  organized  for  that  purpose. 

The  Red  Cross  flag  was  presented  by  Miss  Emma  M.  Williams, 
who  represented  the  donor,  "The  Phillis  Wheatley  Club,"  and  it  was 
received  on  behalf  of  the  regiment  by  Lieutenant  Barnett.  The  Na 
tional  colors  were  given  by  the  Israel  Lodge  of  the  Grand  United 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  251 

v  ' 

Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  they  were  presented  in  a  happy  speech  by 
the  Rev.  R.  A.  Alston,  of  this  city.  Major  Harrison,  in  his  character 
istic  and  earnest  way,  received  the  colors  for  the  regiment  amid  great 
applause.  Colonel  Crane,  Major  Harrison,  and  the  other  members  of 
the  staff,  were  called  forward  and  given  three  cheers,  most  heartily. 

The^Rev.  T.  A.  Wilson,  on  behalf  of  the  A.  M.  E.  Church,  pre 
sented  the  regiment  with  a  number  of  small  Bibles  and  song  books. 
Resolutions  pledging  loyal  support  to  President  McKinley  and  the 
country  were  unanimously  adopted. 

Among  others  who  served  on  the  programme  were  Miss  E.  V. 
Edwards,  Miss  Ida  Cohen,  Miss  Naomi  Kitchens  and  Mr.  A.  Lewis. 
The  soldiers  seemed  happy  over  the  way  their  friends  and  loved  ones 
remembered  them,  and  I  am  sure  they  will  sustain  the  confidence  of 
the  friends  at  home — never  letting  the  old  flag  touch  the  ground. 

R.  E.  J. 

The  above  article  is  taken  from  the  Southwestern  Christian 
Advocate,  of  New  Orleans,  for  Thursday,  the  28th  of  July,  1898.  There 
is  more  of  it,  but  the  lines  that  follow  are  only  taken  up  with  the 
names  of  those  who  were  on  the  different  committees. 

The  careful  reader  must  have  observed  in  the  article  given  above 
what  a  large  share  the  preachers  of  the  gospel  had  in  the  above  flag 
presentations  at  New  Orleans.  And  right  here  it  may  be  proper  for 
me  to  remark  that  the  entire  press  of  this  country,  so  far  as  they  have 
written  on  the  subject,  had  given  the  greatest  praise  to  the  colored 
chaplains  of  the  four  regular  regiments,  United  States  cavalry  and  in 
fantry,  and  mention  what  a  deal  their  fatherly  care  and  guidance  had 
to  do  with  the  building  up  of  the  troops.  And  the  same  is  equally  true 
of  those  chaplains  of  those  volunteer  regiments  that  got  ready  for  the 
field,  but  never  went  to  the  war,  because  they  were  not  called  upon  to 
do  so. 

Although  the  war  with  Spain  is  now  over,  at  this  writing  (Sep 
tember,  1898),  I  know  not  what  may  be  the  ultimate  destination  of  the 
numerous  colored  volunteer  regiments  that  were  'organized  for  the  war, 
which  will  be  retained  for  the  country's  service,  and  which  will  be  dis 
banded  and  sent  home.  There  is,  however,  one  regiment  from  Illinois, 


252  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

all  the  officers  being  colored,  from  the  colonel  down,  who  have  been 
sent  to  assist  in  the  garrisoning  of  Santiago  de  Cuba. 

The  authorities  at  Washington  have  not  been  slow  to  reward 
bravery  in  the  late  war  with  Spain,  as  the  following  short  article  from 
an  exchange  will  show: 

NEGRO  BRAVERY  REWARDED. 

Washington,  D.  C,  August,  1898. — Six  colored  non-commission 
ed  officers,  who  rendered  particularly  gallant  and  meritorious  service 
in  the  face  of  the  enemy  in  the  actions  around  Santiago  on  July  ist  and 
2nd,  have  been  appointed  second  lieutenants  in  two  of  the  colored  im 
mune  regiments  recently  organized  under  special  acts  of  Congress. 
These  men  are  Sergeants  William  Washington,  of  Troop  F,  and  John 
C.  Proctor,  of  Troop  I,  of  the  Ninth  Cavalry ;  and  Sergeants  William 
McBonjar,  of  Company  H;  Wyatt  Hoffman,  of  Company  G;  Mason 
Russell,  of  Company  H,  and  Andrew  J.  Smith,  of  Company  B,  of  the 
Twenty-fifth  Infantry,  commanded  by  Colonel  Daggatt.  These  two 
Negro  regiments  were  in  the  thick  of  the  fierce  fighting  at  El  Caney 
and  San  Juan,  and  won  high  praise  for  their  courage  and  efficiency. 
The  Ninth  Cavalry  was  also  with  the  Rough  Riders  at  La  Quasina. 

As  the  above  extract  will  show,  there  has  been  a  disposition  shown 
at  Washington  to  reward  bravery,  and  reward  it  at  once.  People  have 
not  been  wanting  to  point  out  who  ought  to  be  honored,  and  honor 
has  been  forthcoming  on  all  hands. 

While  I  am  engaged  writing  these  pages,  the  war  is  practically 
over,  and  a  great  many  of  the  regiments  are  being  disbanded  and  sent 
home.  It  is  expected,  however,  that  a  larger  army  will  be  maintained 
at  the  national  expense  than  ever  before.  We  used  to  support  25,000 
men,  but  now  we  have  the  Philippine  Islands,  Cuba  and  Porto  Rico 
on  our  hands,  besides  home  duties  and  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  and  there 
fore  we  shall  need  more  men  than  before ;  at  least,  for  some  time  to 
come.  But  all  these  things  must  be  settled  by  the  authorities  at 
Washington. 

While  it  is  now  my  mournful  task  once  more  to  revert  to  the  266 
men  killed  on  the  Maine,  and  the  264  killed  in  battle,  our  list  of  wound- 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  253 

ed  was  much  higher ;  while  those  who  died  of  fevers  contracted  in  the 
tropical  climates,  and  came  home  sick,  were,  indeed,  a  mournful  sub 
ject  for  us  to  think  about.  Our  men  were  not  used  to  the  heat  and 
rains  of  the  East  and  West  Indies,  or  even  to  the  lowlands  of  Florida, 
and  other  far  Southern  States,  which  rendered  them  more  helpless  than 
children,  so  that  many  died  far  away  from  home,  while  others  were  too 
weak  to  be  moved.  Some  died  on  the  way,  and  many  were  carried 
into  our  hospitals  as  soon  as  they  arrived  at  their  destinations.  Most 
of  those  who  could  stand  the  journey  were  sent  on  their  way  home, 
and  all  seemed  to  be  glad  that  the  war  was  over. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  for  me  to  say  that  this  war  has  largely  had 
the  happy  result  of  greatly  elevating  the  character  of  the  United  States 
before  the  whole  world.  We  are  now  a  second-class  naval  power,  and 
our  praises  are  sung  in  all  lands,  from  one  end  of  the  world  to  the 
other.  Our  armies  that  fought  on  shore  at  Manilla  and  Santiago 
have  been  honored  by  the  nations  of  the  earth,  "Mother  England," 
and  all  the  rest — no  matter  whether  they  are  willing  or  not.  Immense 
good  will  follow  to  Cuba,  Porto  Rico,  the  Philippines,  and,  indeed, 
all  mankind,  for  we  will  teach  them  what  a  moral,  Christian  and  tal 
ented  people  we  are.  And  we  have  done  all  this  in  less  than  four 
months — at  the  loss  of  very  few  lives,  indeed,  and  not  at  much  ex 
pense.  I  feel  that  Almighty  God  has  been  the  head  and  spring  of  all 
this ;  and  I  am  als<a  proud  that  my  own  people  have  done  their  whole 
duty,  and  done  it  well.  BEULAH  LINCOLN. 

,  FINIS.  


BLACKS  IN  THE  REVOLUTIONARY  WAR 

AND    IN    1812. 


I  now  undertake  to  write  a  history  of  the  part  which  the  colored 
men  took  in  the  great  American  Rebellion.  Previous  to  entering 
upon  that  subject,  however,  I  may  be  pardoned  for  bringing  before  the 
reader  the  condition  of  the  blacks  previous  to  the  breaking  out  of  the 
war. 

The  Declaration  of  American  Independence,  made  July  4th,  1776, 
had  scarcely  been  enunciated,  and  an  organization  of  the  government 
commenced,  ere  the  people  found  themselves  surrounded  by  new  and 
trying  difficulties,  which,  for  a  time,  threatened  to  wreck  the  ship  of 
state.  The  forty-five  slaves  landed  on  the  banks  of  the  James  river, 
in  the  colony  of  Virginia,  from  the  coast  of  Africa,  in  1620,  had  multi 
plied  to  several  thousands,  and  were  influencing  the  political,  social 
and  religious  institutions  of  the  country.  Brought  into  the  colonies 
against  their  will ;  made  the  hewers  of  wood,  and  the  drawers  of  water ; 
considered  in  the  light  of  law  and  public  opinion  as  mere  chattels, 
things  to  be  bought  and  sold  at  the  will  of  the  owner ;  driven  to  their 
unrequited  toil  by  unfeeling  men,  picked  for  the  purpose  from  the 
lowest  and  most  degraded  of  the  uneducated  whites,  whose  moral, 
social  and  political  degradation  by  slavery  was  equal  to  that  of  the 
slave — the  condition  of  the  Negro  was  indeed  a  sad  one ! 

The  history  of  this  people,  full  of  sorrow,  blood  and  tears,  is  full 
also  of  instruction  for  mankind.  God  has  so  ordered  it  that  one  class 
shall  not  degrade  another  without  becoming  themselves  contaminated. 
So  with  slavery  in  America.  The  institution  bred  in  the  master  insult 
ing  arrogance,  deteriorating  sloth,  pampered  the  loathsome  lust  it 
inflamed  until  licentious  luxury  sapped  the  strength  and  rottened  the 
virtue  of  the  slave  owners  of  the  South. 

Never  were  the  institutions  of  a  people,  or  the  principles  of  lib 
erty,  put  to  such  a  severe  test  as  those  of  the  American  Republic.  The 
convention  to  frame  the  Constitution  for  the  Government  of  the  United 


256  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

States  had  not  organized  before  the  slave-masters  began  to  press  the 
claims  of  their  system  upon  the  delegates.  They  wanted  their  prop 
erty  represented  in  the  National  Congress,  and  undue  guarantees 
thrown  around  it;  they  wanted  the  African  slave-trade  made  lawful, 
and  their  victims  returned  if  they  should  attempt  to  escape ;  they  beg 
ged  that  an  article  might  be  inserted  in  the  Constitution  making  it  the 
duty  of  the  general  government  to  put  down  the  slaves  if  they  should 
imitate  their  masters  in  striking  a  blow  for  freedom.  They  seemed 
afraid  of  the  very  evil  they  were  clinging  to  closely  to.  "Thus  con 
science  doth  make  cowards  of  us  all." 

In  all  this  early  difficulty,  South  Carolina  took  the  lead  against 
humanity,  her  delegates  ever  showing  themselves  the  foes  of  freedom. 
Both  in  the  Federal  Convention  to  frame  the  Constitution,  and  in  the 
State  Conventions  to  ratify  the  same,  it  was  admitted  that  the  blacks 
had  fought  bravely  against  the  British,  and  in  favor  of  the  American 
Republic,  for  the  fact  that  a  black  man  (Crispus  Attucks)  was  the  first 
to  give  his  life  at  the  commencement  of  the  Revolution,  was  still  fresh 
in  their  minds.  Eighteen  years  previous  to  the  breaking  outv  of  the 
war,  Attucks  was  held  as  a  slave  by  Mr.  William  Brown,  of  Framing- 
ham,  Mass.,  and  from  whom  he  escaped  about  that  time,  taking  up  his 
residence  in  Boston. 

The  Boston  Massacre,  March,  5th,  1770,  may  be  regarded  as  the 
first  act  of  the  great  drama  of  the  American  Revolution.  "From  that 
moment,"  said  Daniel  Webster,"we  may  date  the  severance  of  the  Brit 
ish  Empire."  The  presence  of  the  British  soldiers  in  King  street  ex 
cited  the  patriotic  indignation  of  the  people.  The  whole  community 
was  stirred,  and  sage  counsellors  were  deliberating,  and  writing,  and 
talking  about  the  public  grievance.  But  it  was  not  for  "the  wise  and 
prudent"  to  be  the  first  to  act  against  the  encroachments  of  arbitrary 
power.  "A  motley  rabble  of  saucy  boys,  Negroes  and  mulattoes,  Irish 
teagues,  and  outlandish  Ja.cktars"  (as  John  Adams  described  them  in 
his  plea  in  defence  of  the  soldiers)  could  not  restrain  their  emotion,  or 
stop  to  inquire  if  what  they  must  do  was  according  to  the  letter  of  any 
law.  Led  by  Crispus  Attucks,  the  mulatto  slave,  and  shouting,  "The 
way  to  get  rid  of  these  soldiers  is  to  attack  the  mainguard ;  strike  at 
the  root ;  this  is  the  nest !"  with  more  valor  than  discretion,  they  rush 
ed  to  King  street,  and  were  fired  upon  by  Captain  Preston's  company. 


HISTORICAL  EOMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  257 

Crispus  Attucks  was  the  first  to  fall ;  he  and  Samuel  Gray  and  Jonas 
Caldwell  were  killed  on  the  spot;  Samuel  Maverick  and  Patrick  Carr 
were  mortally  wounded. 

The  excitement  which  followed  was  intense.  The  bells  of  the 
town  were  rung;  an  impromptu  town  meeting  was  held,  and  an  im 
mense  assembly  was  gathered.  Three  days  after,  on  the  8th,  a  public 
funeral  of  the  martyrs  took  place.  The  shops  of  Boston  were  closed,, 
and  all  the  bells  of  Boston  and  the  neighboring  towns  were  rung.  It 
is  said  that  a  greater  number  of  persons  assembled  on  this  occasion! 
than  were  ever  before  gathered  on  this  continent  for  a  similar  purpose.. 
The  body  of  Crispus  Attucks,  the  mulatto  slave,  had  been  placed  in 
Faneuil  Hall,  with  that  of  Caldwell,  both  being  strangers  in  the  city. 
Maverick  was  buried  from  his  mother's  house,  on  Union  street,  and 
Gray  from  his  brothers,  in  Royal  Exchange  Lane.  The  four  hearses 
formed  a  junction  in  King  street,  and  there  the  procession  marched  in 
columns  six  deep,  with  a  long  file  of  coaches  belonging  to  the  most 
distinguished  citizens,  to  the  Middle  burying-ground,  where  the  four 
victims  were  deposited  in  one  grave,  over  which  a  stone  was  placed 
with  this  inscription: 

"Long  as  in  Freedom's  cause  the  wise  contend, 
Dear  to  your  country  shall  your  fame  extend; 
While  to  the  world  the  lettered  stone  shall  tell 
Where  Caldwell,  Attucks,  Gray,  Mayerick  fell." 

The  anniversary  of  this  event  was  publicly  commemorated  in 
Boston  by  an  ovation  and  other  exercises  every  year  until  after  our 
national  independence  was  achieved,  when  the  Fourth  of  July  was  sub 
stituted  for  the  Fifth  of  March,  as  the  more  proper  day  for  a  general 
celebration.  Not  only  was  the  event  commemorated,  but  the  mar 
tyrs  who  then  gave  up  their  lives  were  remembered  and  honored. 

For  half  a  century  after  the  close  of  the  war,  the  name  of  Crispus 
Attucks  was  honorably  mentioned  by  the  most  noted  men  of  the  coun 
try,  who  were  not  blinded  by  foolish  prejudice.  At  the  batle  of  Bunker 
Hill,  Peter  Salem,  a  Negro,  distinguished  himself  by  shooting  Major 
Pitcairn,  who,  in  the  midst  of  the  battle,  having  passed  the  storm  of  fire 
without  mounting  the  redoubt,  and  waving  the  sword,  cried  to  the 
rebels  to  surrender.  The  fall  of  Pitcairn  ended  the  battle  in  favor  of 
liberty. 


258  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

A  single  passage  from  Mr.  Bancroft's  history  will  give  a  succinct 
and  clear  account  of  the  condition  of  the  army  in  respect  to  colored 
soldiers,  at  the  time  of  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill : 

"Nor  should  history  forget  to  record  that  as  in  the  army  of  Cam 
bridge,  so  also  in  this  gallant  band,  the  free  Negroes  of  the  colony  had 
their  representatives.  For  the  right  of  free  Negroes  to  bear  arms  in 
the  public  defence  was  at  that  day  as  little  disputed  in  New  England 
as  their  other  rights.  They  took  their  place,  not  in  a  separate  corps, 
but  in  the  ranks  with  the  white  man ;  and  their  names  may  be  read  on 
the  pension  rolls  of  the  country,  side  by  side  with  those  of  other  soldiers 
of  the  Revolution." — Bancroft's  History  of  the  United  States,  Vol. 
VII,  p.  421. 

The  capture  of  Major-General  Prescott,  of  the  British  army,  on 
the  pth  of  July,  1777,  was  an  occasion  of  great  joy  throughout  the 
country.  Prince,  the  valiant  Negro  who  seized  that  officer,  ought  al 
ways  to  be  remembered  with  honor  for  his  important  service.  The 
exploit  was  much  commended  at  the  time,  as  its  results  were  highh 
important ;  and  Colonel  Barton  very  properly  received  from  Congress 
the  compliment  of  a,  sword  for  his  ingenuity  and  bravery.  It  seems, 
however,  that  it  took  more  than  one  head  to  plan  and  to  execute  the 
undertaking.  The  following  account  of  the  capture  is  historical : 

"They  landed  about  five  miles  from  Newport,  and  three-quarters 
of  a  mile  from  the  house,  which  they  approached  cautiously,  avoiding 
the  mainguard,  which  was  at  some  distance.  The  Colonel  went  fore 
most,  with  .a  stout,  active  Negro  close  behind  him,  and  another  at  a 
small  distance ;  the  rest  followed  so1  as  to  be  near,  but  not  seen. 

"A  single  sentinel  at  the  door  saw  and  hailed  the  Colonel.  He  ans 
wered  by  exclaiming  against  and  inquiring  for  rebel  prisoners,  but 
kept  slowly  advancing.  The  sentinel  again  challenged  him,  and  re 
quired  the  countersign.  He  said  he  had  not  the  countersign,  but 
amused  the  sentry  by  talking  about  rebel  prisoners,  and  still  advancing1 
till  he  came  within  reach  of  the  bayonet,  which,  he  presenting,  the  col 
onel  suddenly  struck  aside  and  seized  him.  He  was  immediately  se 
cured,  and  ordered  to  be  silent  on  pain  of  instant  death. 

"Meanwhile  the  rest  of  the  men  surrounding  the  house,  the  Ne 
gro,  with  his  head,  at  the  second  stroke,  forced  a  passage  into  it,  and 
then  into  the  landlord's  apartment.  The  landlord  at  first  refused  to 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  259 

give  the  necessary  intelligence,  but  on  the  prospect  of  present  death, 
he  pointed  to  the  general's  chamber,  which,  being  instantly  opened  by 
the  Negro's  head,  the  Colonel  calling  the  general  by  name,  told  him 
he  was  a  prisoner." — Pennsylvania  Evening  Post,  August  7th,  1777 
(m  Frank  Moore's  "Diary  of  the  American  Revolution,"  Vol.  I,  p.  468). 

There  is  abundant  evidence  of  the  fidelity  and  bravery  of  the  col 
ored  patriots  of  Rhode  Island  during  the  whole  war.  Before  they 
had  been  formed  into  a  separate  regiment,  they  had  fought  valiantly 
with  the  white  soldiers  at  Red  Bank  and  elsewhere.  Their  conduct  at 
the  battle  of  Rhode  Island,  on  the  2gth  of  August,  1778,  entitles  them 
to  perpetual  honor-  That  battle  has  been  pronounced  by  military  au 
thorities  to  have  been  one  of  the  best-fought  battles  of  the  Revolution 
ary  War.  Its  success  was  owing,  in  a  great  degree,  to  the  good  fighting 
of  the  Negro  soldiers.  Mr.  Arnold,  in  his  "History  of  Rhode  Island," 
thus  closes  his  account  of  it : 

"A  third  time  the  enemy,  with  desperate  courage  and  increased 
strength,  attempted  to  assail  the  redoubt,  and  would  have  carried  it, 
but  for  the  timely  aid  of  two  Continental  battalions  despatched  by 
Sullivan  to  support  his  almost  exhausted  troops.  It  was  in  repelling 
these  furious  (onsets  that  the  newly-raised  black  regiment,  under  Col. 
Greene,  distinguished  itself  by  deeds  of  desperate  valor.  Posted  be 
hind  a  thicket  in  the  valley,  they  three  times  drove  back  the  Hessians, 
who  charged  repeatedly  down  the  hill  to  dislodge  them  ;  and  so  de 
termined  were  the  enemy  in  these  successive  charges  that  the  day  after 
the  battle,  the  Hessian  colonel,  upon  whom  this  duty  had  devolved, 
applied  to  exchange  his  command,  and  go  to  New  York,  because  he 
dared  not  lead  his  regiment  again  to  battle,  lest  his  men  should  shoot 
him  by  having  caused  them  so  much  loss." — Arnold's  History  of 
Rhode  Island,  Vol.  II,  pp.  427,  428. 

Three  years  later,  these  soldiers  are  thus  mentioned  by  the  Mar 
quis  de  Chastellux: 

"The  5th  (of  January,  1781),  I  did  not  set  out  till  eleven,  although 
T  had  thirty  miles'  journey  to  Lebanon.  At  the  passage  to  the  ferry, 
T  met  with  a  detachment  of  the  Rhode  Island  regiment — the  same 
corps  we  had  with  us  all  the  last  summer;  but  they  have  since  been 
recruited  and  clothed.  The  greatest  part  of  them  are  Negroes,  or 


260  H1STOK1CAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

mulattoes ;  they  are  strong,  robust  men,  and  those  I  have  seen  had  a 
very  good  appearance." 

When  Colonel  Greene  was  surprised  and  murdered  near  Point 
Bridge,  New  York,  on  the  I4th  of  May,  1781,  his  colored  soldiers  he 
roically  defended  him  till  they  were  cut  to  pieces  ;  and  the  Negro  reach 
ed  him  over  the  dead  bodies  of  his  faithful  Negroes.  That  large  num 
bers  of  Negroes  were  enrolled  in  the  army,  and  served  faithfully  as  sol 
diers  during  the  whole  period  of  the  war  of  the  revolution,  may  be  re 
garded  as  a  well-established  historical  fact,  and  it  should  be  borne  in 
mind  that  the  enlistment  was  not  confined,  by  any  means,  to  those 
who  had  before  enjoyed  the  privileges  of  free  citizens.  Very  many 
slaves  were  offered  to  and  received  by  the  army,  on  the  condition  that 
they  were  to-  be  emancipated  either  at  the  time  of  enlistment,  or  when 
they  had  served  out  the  term  of  their  enlistment.  The  inconsistency  of 
keeping  in  slavery  any  person  who  had  taken  up  arms  for  the  defence 
of  our  national  liberty  had  led  to  the  passing  of  an  order  forbidding 
slaves,  as  such,  to  be  received  as  soldiers. 

The  colored  men  were  equally  serviceable  in  the  last  war  with 
Great  Britain  is  true,  as  the  following  historical  document  will  show : 

GEN.  JACKSON'S  PROCLAMATION  TO  THE  NEGROES. 
Headquarters,  Seventh  Military  District, 

MOBILE,  September  2ist,  1814. 
To  the  Free  Colored  Inhabitants  of  Louisiana : — 

Through  a  mistaken  policy,  you  have  heretofore  been  deprived  of 
a  participation  in  the  glorious  struggle  for  national  rights,  in  which 
our  country  is  engaged.  This  no  longer  shall  exist.  As  sons  of  free 
men,  you  are  now  called  upon  to  defend  our  most  inestimable  bless 
ing.  As  Americans,  your  country  looks  with  confidence  to  her  adopt 
ed  children  for  a  valorous  support,  as  a  faithful  return  for  the  advan 
tages  enjoyed  under  her  mild  and  equitable  government.  As  fathers, 
husbands  and  brothers,  you  are  summoned  to  rally  around  the  stand 
ard  of  the  Eagle,  to  defend  all  which  is  dear  in  existence.  Your  country, 
although  calling  for  your  exertions,  does  not  wish  you  to  engage  in 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  261 

her  cause  without  amply  remunerating  you  for  the  services  rendered. 
Your  intelligent  minds  are  not  to  be  led  away  by  false  representations. 
Your  love  of  honor  would  cause  you  to  despise  the  man  who  should 
attempt  to  deceive  you.  In  the  sincerity  of  a  soldier,  and  the  language 
of  truth,  I  address  you.  To  every  noble-hearted,  generous  freeman  of 
color,  volunteering  to  serve  during  the  present  contest  with  Great 
Britain,  and  no  longer,  there  will  be  paid  the  same  bounty  in  money 
and  lands  now  received  by  the  white  soldiers  of  the  United  States,  viz: 
one  hundred  and  twenty  dollars  in  money,  and  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land.  The  non-commissioned  officers  .and  privates  will  also 
be  entitled  to  the  same  monthly  pay  and  daily  rations  and  clothes  fur 
nished  to  any  American  soldier. 

On  enrolling  yourselves  in  companies,  the  Major-General  com 
manding  will  select  officers  for  your  government  from  your  white  fel 
low  citizens ;  your  non-commissioned  officers  will  be  appointed  from 
among  yourselves. 

Due  regard  will  be  paid  to  the  feelings  of  freemen -and  soldiers. 
You  will  not,  by  being  associated  with  white  men  in  the  same  corps, 
be  exposed  to  improper  comparisons  or  unjust  sarcasm.  As  a  dis 
tinct,  independent  battalion  or  regiment,  pursuing  the  path  of  glory, 
you  will,  undivided,  receive  the  applause  and  gratitude  of  your  country 
men.  To  assure  you  of  the  sincerity  of  my  intentions,  and  my  anxiety 
tc  engage  your  invaluable  services  to  our  country,  I  have  communi 
cated  my  wishes  to  the  Governor  of  Louisiana,  who  is  fully  informed 
as  to  the  manner  of  enrollment,  and  will  give  you  every  necessary  in 
formation  on  the  subject  of  this  address. 

ANDREW  JACKSON,  Major-General  Commanding. 

Three  months  later  General  Jackson  addressed  the  same  troops 
as  follows: 

To  the  Men  of  Color,  Soldiers : — 

From  the  shores  of  Mobile  I  collected  you  to  arms.  I  invited  you 
to  share  in  the  perils,  and  to  divide  the  glory  of  your  white  country 
men.  I  expected  much  from  you,  for  I  was  not  uninformed  of  those 
qualities  which  must  render  you  so  formidable  to  an  invading  foe.  I 


262  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

knew  that  you  could  endure  hunger  and  thirst,  and  all  the  hardships 
of  war.  I  knew  that  you  loved  the  land  of  your  nativity,  and  that,  like 
ourselves,  you  had  to  defend  all  that  is  most  dear  to  man.  But  you  sur 
pass  my  hopes.  I  have  found  in  you,  united  to  these  qualities,  that 
noble  enthusiasm  which  impels  to  great  deeds. 

Soldiers,  the  President  of  the  United  States  shall  be  informed  of 
your  conduct  on  the  present  occasion,  and  the  voice  of  the  Represen 
tatives  of  the  American  nation  shall  applaud  your  valor,  as  your  Gen 
eral  now  praises  your  ardor.  The  enemy  is  near !  His  sails  cover  the 
lakes.  But  the  brave  are  'united,  and  if  he  finds  us  contending  with 
ourselves,  it  will  be  for  the  prize  of  valor  and  fame — its  noblest  reward. 

Black  men  served  in  the  navy  with  great  credit  to  themselves,  ref^- 
ceiving  the  commendation  of  Commodore  Perry  and  other  brave  of 
ficers. 

Extract  of  a  letter  from  Nathaniel  Shaler,  commander  of  the  private 
armed  schooner  General  Tompkins,  to  his  agent  in  New  York,  dated— 

AT  SEA,  January  ist,  1813. 

Before  I  could  get  our  light  sails  in,  and  almost  before  I  could 
turn  round,  I  was  under  the  guns,  not  of  a  transport,  but  of  a  large 
frigate,  and  not  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  her!  Her  first 
broadside  killed  two  men,  and  wounded  six  others.  My  officers  con 
ducted  themselves  in  a  way  that  would  have  done  honor  to  a  more  per 
manent  service.  The  name  of  one  of  my  poor  fellows  who  was  killed 
ought  to  be  registered  in  the  book  of  fame,  and  remembered  with  rev 
erence  as  long  as  bravery  is  considered  a  virtue.  He  was  a  black  man. 
by  the  name  of  John  Johnson.  A  twenty-four  pound  shot  struck  him 
on  the  hip,  and  took  away  all  the  lower  part  of  his  body.  In  this  state, 
the  poor,  brave  fellow  lay  on  the  deck,  and  several  times  exclaimed  to 
his  shipmates,  "Fire  away,  my  boy  !  No  haul  a  color  down  !"  The  other 
was  also  a  black  man,  by  the  name  of  John  Davis,  and  was  struck  in 
much  the  same  way.  He  fell  near  me,  and  several  times  requested  to 
be  thrown  overboard,  saying  he  was  only  in  the  way  of  others.  When 
America  has  such  tars  she  has  little  to  fear  from  the  tyrants  of  the 
ocean. 


NICK"    BIDDLE. 

The  title  of  "First  Defenders"  has  been  given  to  the  five  com 
panies  of  Pennsylvania  troops,  two  of  which  were  from  Schuylkill  Co., 
one  from  Reading,  one  from  Allentown,  and  one  from  Lewistown, 
Pa.,  that  marched  through  Baltimore  on  the  day  before  the  Massa 
chusetts  soldiers  were  mobbed  in  the  streets  on  the  way  to  defend  the 
national  capital.  After  running  the  gauntlet  of  a  furious  rabble,  the 
five  companies  reached  Washington  on  the  evening  of  the  i8th,  and 
were  quartered  in  the  Capitol  Building.  A  pool  of  blood,  which  ran 
from  the  wounded  cheek  of  "Nick"  Biddle,  marked  the  spot  on  the 
Capitol  floor,  where  he  lay  that  night.  It  was  the  first  blood  shed  in 
the  war  for  the  Union,  His  grave  is  in  the  colored  churchyard  hi 
Pottsville,  Pa. 


The  grave  of  "Nick"  Biddle  a  Mecca  should  be, 

To  Pilgrims  whoi  seek  in  this  land  of  the  free, 

The  tombs  of  the  lowly  as  well  as  the  great, 

Who  struggled  for  freedom  in  war  or  debate ; 

For  there  lies  a  black  man  distinguished  from  all 

In  that  his  veins  furnished  the  first  blood  to  fall 

In  war  for  the  Union,  when  traitors  assailed 

Its  brave  "First  Defenders,"  whose  hearts  never  quailed. 

The  eighteenth  of  April,  eighteen  sixty-one, 

Was  the  day  "Nick"  Biddle  his  great  laurels  won, 

In  Baltimore  city,  where  riot  ran  high, 

He  stood  by  our  banner  to  do  or  to  die ; 

And  onward,  responsive  to  liberty's  call — 

The  Capital  City  to  reach  ere  it  fall. 

Brave  Biddle  with  others  as  true  and  as  brave, 

Marched  through  the  wild  tempest,  the  nation  to  save. 

Their  pathway  was  fearful,  surrounded  by  foes, 

Who  strove  in  fierce  madness  their  course  to  oppose; 

Who  hurl  threats  and  curses  defiant  of  law, 


264  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

And  think  by  such  methods  they  may  overawe 

The  gallant  defenders,  who  nevertheless 

Hold  back  their  resentment  as  forward  they  press, 

And  conscious  of  noble  endeavor,  despise 

The  flashing  of  weapons  and  traitorous  eyes. 

Behold  now  the  crisis !    The  mob  thirsts  for  blood ! 

It  strikes  down  "Nick"  Biddle,  and  opens  the  flood; 

The  torrents  of  crimson  from  hearts  that  are  true, 

That  shall  deepen  and  widen,  shall  clean  and  renew, 

The  land  of  our  fathers  by  slavery  cursed. 

The  blood  of  "Nick"  Biddle — yes,  it  is  the  first, 

The  patter  of  raindrops  presaging  the  storm, 

That  will  rage  and  destroy  till  the  nation  reform. 

How  strange,  too,  it  seems  that  the  Capitol  floor, 

Where  slaveholders  sat  in  the  Congress  of  yore, 

And  forged  for  his  kindred  chains  heavy  to  bear, 

To  bind  down  the  black  man  in  endless  despair, 

Should  be  stained  with  his  blood,  and  thus  sanctified, 

Made  sacred  to  Freedom,  through  time  to  abide, 

A  temple  of  justice,  with  every  right 

For  all  of  the  nation — black,  red  men  and  white. 

The  grave  of  "Nick"  Biddle,  though  humble  it  be, 

Is  nobler  by  far  in  the  sight  of  the  free 

Than  tombs  of  those  chieftains  whose  sinful  crusade, 

Brought  long  years  of  mourning,  and  countless  graves  made ; 

In  striving  to  fetter  their  black  fellow-men, 

And  make  of  the  Southland  a  vast  prison  pen, 

Their  cause  was  unholy,  but  "Nick"  Biddle  was  just — 

And  hosts  of  pure  spirits  watch  over  his  dust. 


Deeds  are  indestructible ;  ideas  are  imperishable,  and  mind  is  im 
mortal.  "Children,"  says  George  Eliot,  "may  be  strangled,  deeds 
never;  they  have  an  indestructible  life,  both  in  mind  and  outside  of 
our  consciousness."  It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  therefore,  that  many 
of  the  ancients  of  the  distant  past  should  have  predicated  eternal  life 


THEODORE  ROOSEVELT. 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  265 

upon  deeds  and  ideas.  Deeds  which  are  formidable,  and  ideas  which 
grow  and  expand,  and  gather  strength,  until  they  become  the  very 
life  of  the  social,  moral  and  religious  structure  of  the  nation.  To  my 
mind  there  can  be  no  truer  measurement  of  a  man,  or  a  race,  or  a  na 
tion,  than  the  standard  of  ideas  which  formulate  themselves  into  deeds. 
"Deeds  and  ideas,"  which,  according  to  Disraeli,  "render  a  man  inde 
pendent  of  his  constituencies,  independent  of  dissolution,  independent 
even  of  the  course  of  time." 

Measure  from  this  standard  Theodore  Roosevelt,*  the  President 
of  the  United  States  of  America,  is  the  most  unique  figure  before  the 
American  people  to-day.  No  President  since  the  days  of  Lincoln, 
the  emancipator,  merits  in  a  larger  degree  the  unselfish  praise  and  de 
votion,  not  only  of  his  countrymen,  but  of  the  whole  civilized  world. 
In  the  strictest  sense  of  the  term,  he  is  a  man  of  destiny.  Born,  like 
all  true  leaders  and  reformers,  at  a  particular  time,  for  a  particular 
purpose;  endowed  by  nature  with  a  constitution  which  defies  the  en 
croachment  of  disease ;  with  an  intellect  which  craves  the  most  rigid 
discipline ;  with  a  courage  which  knows  no  daring,  and  a  conscience 
which  repels  the  slightest  innovation  which  might  result  to  the  detri 
ment  of  his  fellow-man,  regardless  of  race,  color  or  creed.  It  was  for 
Abraham  Lincoln  to  issue  the  proclamation  of  freedom,  and  thus  save 
the  nation  from  disintegration ;  it  is  for  Theodore  Roosevelt  to  pre 
serve  that  proclamation,  and  preserve  the  amendments  to  the  Consti 
tution,  which  is  the  very  life  of  the  freedom  guaranteed  to  the  eman 
cipated.  From  the  time  of  President  Grant  down  to  the  present  time, 
there  has  been  a  persistent  attempt  on  the  part  of  the  South  to  para 
lyze  the  spirit  and  practice  of  the  Thirteenth  and  Fourteenth  Amend 
ments  to  the  Constitution,  without  which  freed  men  would  have  no 
legal  standing  in  the  nation. 

The  amendments  received  a  dangerous  wound  during  the  admin 
istration  of  President  Hayes.  From  the  effects  of  this  wound  it  hardly 
ever  recovered.  When,  by  a  strange  Providence,  Theodore  Roose 
velt  was  called  suddenly  to  occupy  the  place  of  the  martyred  President 
McKinley,  a  most  lovable  and  peaceful  man,  black  men  and  their 
friends,  all  over  the  country,  rejoiced  in  the  hope  of  a  better  day, 
when  right  and  justice  would  succeed  policy  and  conciliation.  In  this 
we  were  not  mistaken.  Not  that  Theodore  Roosevelt  loves  the  black 


266  HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

man  any  more  than  any  of  his  predecessors,  but  that  Theodore  Roose 
velt  has  convictions  and  the  courage  of  his  convictions,  regardless  of 
consequences.  The  appended  correspondence,  which  explains  itself, 
will  render  him  immortal,  and  will  keep  his  memory  fresh  in  the  rec 
ollection  of  his  fellow-men,  and  when  future  historians  chronicle  his 
acts,  they  shall  speak  of  him  as  "Theodore,  the  Great  and  the  Good." 


COLOR   Is   No    BAR  TO  OFFICE. 

President  Roosevelt  Defines  His  Attitude — In  a  Letter  to  a  South 
Carolinian,  Who  Includes  in  a  Number  of  Objections  to  the  Ap 
pointment  of  Dr.  Crum  as  Collector  of  the  Port  of  Charleston 
the  Statement  That  He  is  a  Negro,  the  President  Declares  That 
He  Will  Continue  to  Appoint  Colored  Men  of  Intelligence  and 
Standing — Incentive  to  Good  Citizenship. 

Washington,  November  27. — The  President  has  sent  the  follow 
ing  communication  to  a  prominent  citizen  of  Charleston,  S.  C. : 

"Personal.  WHITE  HOUSE, 

"Washington,  November  26th,  1902. 

"My  Dear  Sir: — I  am  in  receipt  of  your  letter  of  November  loth, 

and  one  from  Mr. ,  under  date  of  November  nth,  in  reference  to 

the  appointment  of  Dr.  Crum  as  collector  of  the  port  of  Charleston. 

"In  your  letter  you  make  certain  specific  charges  against  Dr. 
Crum,  tending  to  show  his  unfitness  in  several  respects  for  the  office 
sought.  These  charges  are  entitled  to  the  utmost  consideration  from 
me,  and  I  shall  go  over  them  carefully  before  taking  any  action.  After 
making  these  charges,  you  add,  as  a  further  reason  for  opposition  to 
him,  that  he  is  a  colored  man ;  and  after  reciting  the  misdeeds  that  fol 
lowed  carpet-bag  rule  and  Negro  domination  in  South  Carolina,  you 
say  that  'we  have  sworn  never  again  to  submit  to  the  rule  of  the 
African,  and  such  an  appointment  as  that  of  Dr.  Crum  to  any  such 
office  forces  us  to  protest  unanimously  against  this  insult  to  the  white 
blood,'  and  you  add  that  you  understood  me  to  say  that  I  would  never 
force  a  Negro  on  such  a  community  as  yours.  Mr. —  -  puts  the  ob 
jection  of  color  first,  saying,  'First,  he  is  a  colored  man,  and  that  of 
itself  ought  to  bar  him  from  the  office/ 

"In  view  of  these  last  statements,  I  think  I  ought  to  make  clear 
to  you  why  I  am  concerned  and  pained  by  your  making  them,  and 
what  my  attitude  is  as  regards  all  such  appointments.  How  anyone 


268  HiSTOEICAL  KOMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO. 

could  have  gained  the  idea  that  I  had  said  I  would  not  appoint  repu 
table  and  upright  colored  men  to  office  when  objection  was  made  to 
them  solely  on  account  of  their  color,  I  confess  I  am  wTholly  unable  to 
understand.  At  the  time  of  my  visit  to  Charleston  last  spring,  I  had 
made,  and  since  that  time  I  have  made,  a  number  of  such  appointments 
from  several  States  in  which  there  was  considerable  colored  population. 
For  example,  I  made  one  such  appointment  in  Mississippi,  and  an 
other  in  Alabama  shortly  before  my  visit  to  Charleston.  I  had  at  that 
time  appointed  two  colored  men  as  judicial  magistrates  in  the  District 
of  Columbia.  I  have  recently  announced  another  such  appointment 
for  New  Orleans,  and  have  just  made  one  from  Pennsylvania.  The 
great  majority  of  my  appointments  in  every  State  have  been  of  white 
men.  North  and  South  alike  it  has  been  my  sedulous  endeavor  to  ap 
point  only  men  of  high  character  and  good  capacity,  whether  white 
•or  black.  But  it  has  been  my  consistent  policy  in  every  State  where 
their  numbers  warranted  it  to  recognize  colored  men  of  good  repute 
and  standing  in  making  appointments  to  office.  These  appointments 
of  colored  men  have  in  no  State  made  more  than  a  small  proportion  of 
the  total  number  of  appointments.  I  am  unable  to  see  how  I  can  legi 
timately  be  asked  to  make  an  exception  for  South  Carolina.  In  South 
Carolina,  to  the  four  most  important  positions  in  the  State,  I  have  ap 
pointed  three  men  and  continued  in  office  a  fourth,  all  of  them  white 
men — three  originally  Gold  Democrats ;  two  of  them,  as  I  am  in 
formed,  the  sons  of  Confederate  soldiers.  I  have  been  informed  by 
the  citizens  of  Charleston  whom  I  met  that  these  four  men  represent 
a  high  grade  of  public  service.  * 

"I  do  not  intend  to  appoint  any  unfit  man  to  office.  So  far  as  I 
legitimately  can  I  shall  always  endeavor  to  pay  regard  to  the  wishes 
and  feelings  of  the  people  o<f  each  locality,  but  I  cannot  consent  to 
take  the  position  that  the  door  of  hope — the  door  of  opportunity — is 
to  be  shut  upon  any  man,  no  matter  how  worthy,  purely  upon  the 
grounds  of  race  or  color.  Such  an  attitude  would,  according  to  my  con 
victions,  be  fundamentally  wrong.  If,  as  you  hold,  the  great  bulk  of  the 
colored  people  are  not  yet  fit  in  point  of  character  and  influence  to  hold 
such  positions,  it  seems  to  me  that  it  is  worth  while  putting  a  premium 
upon  the  effort  among  them  to  achieve  the  character  and  standing 
which  will  fit  them. 


HISTORICAL  ROMANCE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NEGRO.  269 

"The  question  of  "Negro  domination"  does  not  enter  into  the 
matter  at  all.  It  might  as  well  be  asserted  that  when  I  was  Governor 
of  New  York,  I  sought  to  bring  about  Negro  domination  in  that  State 
because  I  appointed  two  colored  men  of  good  character  and  standing  to 
i  esponsible  positions — one  of  them  to  a  position  paying  a  salary  twice 
as  large  as  that  paid  in  the  office  now  under  consideration  ;  one  of  them 
as  a  director  of  the  Buffalo  Exposition.  The  question  raised  by  you 
and  Mr. —  —  in  the  statements  to  which  I  refer  is  simply  whether  it  is 
to  be  declared  that  under  no  circumstances  shall  any  man  of  color,  no 
matter  how  upright  and  honest,  no  matter  how  good  a  citizen,  no- 
matter  how  fair  in  his  dealings  with  all  his  fellows,  be  permitted  to  hold 
any  office  under  our  government. 

"I  certainly  cannot  assume  such  an  attitude,  and  you  must  permit 
me  to  say  that  in  my  view  it  is  an  attitude  no  man  should  assume, 
whether  he  looks  at  it  from  the  standpoint  of  the  true  interest  of  the 
white  man  of  the  South  or  of  the  colored  man  of  the  South — not  to 
speak  of  any  other  section  of  the  Union.  It  seems  to  me  that  it  is  a  good 
thing  from  every  standpoint  to  let  the  colored  man  know  that  if  he 
shows  in  marked  degree  the  qualities  of  good  citizenship — that  the 
qualities  which  in  a  white  man  we  feel  are  entitled  to  reward — then  he 
will  not  be  cut  off  from  all  hope  of  similar  reward. 

"Without  any  regard  as  to  what  my  decision  may  be  on  the  merits 
of  this  particular  applicant  for  this  particular  place,  I  feel  that  I  ought 
to  let  you  know  clearly  my  attitude  on  the  far  broader  question  raised 

by  you  and  Mr. ,  an  attitude  from  which  I  have  not  varied  during 

my  term  of  office.  Faithfully  yours, 

"THEODORE  ROOSEVELT. 
"Hon.- 

"Charleston,  S.  C." 


